


at face value

by seratonins



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Homophobia, Some angst, actress jeongyeon AS GOD INTENDED, but also awkward jeongyeon, smug jeongyeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 55,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seratonins/pseuds/seratonins
Summary: Actress Yoo Jeongyeon to star in the first-ever lesbian k-drama to be broadcasted by a major network, "Cooking with the Enemy" — reports say that popular girl group member Chou Tzuyu will debut as the other female lead and love interest. Recently been confirmed by JYPE.or, tzuyu hates her co-star. then she kind of falls in love with her.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Yoo Jeongyeon, Im Nayeon/Park Jisoo | Jihyo
Comments: 50
Kudos: 464





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> me making another jeongtzu au based around food... it's more likely than you think!  
> 

Chaeyoung gasps as she flips through the script. "You're playing a _lesbian_?"

"Yes," Tzuyu confirms to her friend, as Dahyun leans over her to read the script along with Chaeyoung, interest peaked. Tzuyu's throat closes up with nerves, but none of her members react badly, they just seem curious.

"How did you manage to convince the company?" Dahyun asks, eyes widened.

There wasn't much time for anything the day Tzuyu had gotten the offer — the company knew about the premise of the show, about the lesbian love story, and in the end had decided that they'd rather not have their name (or Tzuyu's, also known as the Nation's girlfriend) associated with such a thing, much less at the start of Tzuyu's solo activities as an actress, so they had ushered the producer out of the room and told Tzuyu they'd find another role more suitable for her acting debut.

Stil... Tzuyu felt an attachment to the role even then. She had gotten the script once the company agreed to look into it, and her character, Kwon Jinsol, had really resonated with her for some reason. Jinsol came from a small town in Korea, had to fight to finally be able to move to the city to chase her dream of being the best chef in the country. Once she arrived at the big city after winning a scholarship, she meets her mentor, a strict chef called Ma Jooyoung, also known as one of Korea's best. Jinsol's personality was bubbly, shy and pretty clumsy but how dedicated she was reminded Tzuyu of the thousands of days she had spent trying to learn Korean when she had first moved here, and how much she had to fight to finally debut with her own group.

Finally, after a week and mustering enough courage with the help of her leader Mina, she had walked into the CEO's office and somehow managed to convince the company. She told them she'd be the first actress to act in a drama of this sort, making it go down in history; and she knew times were definitely changing and that the Korean public should be ready for something like this, at least the younger generation anyway, and they'd be seen as revolutionary in the West. They were adamant in saying no, but seeing as how TWICE had been wanting to break into the western market after almost six years of being a group, they finally agreed. And somehowTzuyu had landed the role of Kwon Jinsol. 

"Wow," Dahyun whistles as she scans the pages. "Our maknae is fearless."

Mina nods, smiling a little at her members from the other side of the couch. "I can't believe you're going to act in a drama."

"Me neither, honestly," Tzuyu responds, smiling slightly as her cheeks tint pink. It's true, she had never thought she'd ever be in a k-drama, or act for that matter. She's always been a bit too shy and she grows embarrassed fairly easily, so she hadn't expected to enjoy acting quite as much as she did.

Tzuyu had only started being interested because of one drama: Rising Sun. She had always found most of them dumb until Mina forced all of her members to sit and watch the 'drama of the century' as she put it; which was coincidentially one where a few of her actress friends participated in. Tzuyu had found herself crying for at least forty minutes when she finished it, and right after she had told her managers she wanted to take acting lessons.

"Do you know who your co-stars will be?" Chaeng asks, handing the script do Dahyun who takes it happily and cuddles closer to Mina so they can both skim through the dialogue together.

"I know Minatozaki Sana will be there," she nods, and Mina squeals in happiness once she hears. They are friends, seeing as they both come from Japan and relatively the same age. "Hirai Momo too, but neither of them will be Ma Jooyoung I don't know who the lead is, but I was told she's a really famous actress."

Dahyun raises her eyebrows. "Maybe Im Nayeon?"

"I don't think so," Chaeng scrunches up her nose. "Chef Jooyoung seems very cool. Nayeon usually plays leads that are more bubbly, like Jinsol is. Or villains."

Tzuyu nods. "I don't think it's Nayeon either."

"Who is it going to be then?" Mina asks, a slight pout on her lips. "It's probably someone courageous to take a role like that."

"I'll find out tomorrow," Tzuyu announces, growing a little nervous at the comment. She forgets sometimes how out of the ordinary this drama actually is after spending so many days memorizing her lines and reading the script over and over. "I have my first table reading with her and the rest of the cast."

"Ah!" Chaeng exclaims. "Tell us who it is when you get there!"

Dahyun nods enthusiastically, placing the script on Mina's legs. "We better be the first ones to hear."

Tzuyu rolls her eyes at her members. "Sure, vultures."

"Isn't the producer Park Jihyo too? Dind't she help in the production of Rising Sun?" Mina wonders aloud, closing the script to read who wrote it. "Oh, she wrote the script too..."

"Yeah, she was one of the writers," Tzuyu nods, lifting her feet from the cold floor and crossing her legs. "She wrote and produced this drama."

"Did you get to meet her?"

"Yes. She, uh," Tzuyu clears her throat slightly, blushing a little at the memory. "She said she wrote the part for me."

Chaeng quietly gasps next to her. It was true; when Park Jihyo had seen her in her CEO's office, she had confessed that she would only make the show with Tzuyu playing such a role because while she wrote it, she could only picture Tzuyu playing it, and had even called her her 'muse'. Tzuyu had blushed so much that it reached all the way up to her ears.

"Then that must be true for your co-star as well," Dahyun says. "Whoever she is."

"Hm... I guess you're right."

"You're going to have to kiss her," Mina says after a few seconds of silence pass, and Tzuyu turns bright red at the comment. 

It's not like she doesn't know that, it's just that it's still a little bit surreal. She's never... properly kissed anyone, much less another girl. Nevermind the thousands of comments she'll have to read about kissing another girl while being an _Idol_. She tries not to think about it too much, because it leaves her stomach feeling like a knoted mess.

"Well, yes, it's a drama," Chaeyoung says, matter-of-factly. 

"Tzuyu," Dahyun calls, completely serious. "Have you practiced?"

Tzuyu covers her face with her hands when everyone bursts into giggles, her blush reaching her ears. "Oh my God, shut up."

"It's a valid question!"

Mina giggles. "Tzuyu-ah, you need to practice ~"

The next day Tzuyu wakes up at five AM, has the sleepiest breakfast she's ever had, showers and then heads off to the KBS building where the table-read is going to take place. She sleeps during the entire ride, dreams about complete darkness and then is woken up gently by her manager to tell her they've finally arrived. She nods sheepishly while yawning, rubbing her eyes just to feel a little more awake. She takes the thousands of paperwork her manager is carrying for her that is supposed to be her contract (she refuses to let them have to carry everything for her) — it's so heavy Tzuyu feels like she might lose balance, but it helps keep her awake. Her manager busies herself with some heavy bags; old stage costumes so the wardrobe director has a real sense of her measurements.

The building is pretty huge, and it reminds her of the JYPE building. There are tall glass windows, with silver desks and a waiting room with very comfy looking white furniture and an especially good looking couch that is very tempting at this time of the day, but Tzuyu doesn't have much more time to admire her surroundings before she notices they are apparently missing the elevator. With both of their hands busy, she tries to catch it before the door closes, careful not to drop any of the papers.

"Please stop the elevator!" she calls, balancing her paperwork. 

There's only a girl in there. She's wearing a casual suit, and her short hair is black and... hasn't Tzuyu seen this girl somewhere before? They make eye contact for a couple of seconds, as she tries to place her familiar face somewhere and the other girl simply stares at her for a second too long — and then the elevator closes right on Tzuyu's face. 

She scrunches up her face in annoyance, weird sense of familiarity ignored. How hard is it to stop the stupid door? 

Her manager tries to soothe her bad mood as they step into the next elevator thanks to the help of a businessman nearby, but she can't help but feel herself purse her lips in annoyance anyway. She doesn't appreciate people being rude for no reason, but she listens to her manager to try and calm herself down. It's part annoyance, part nervousness. This is a big day, her first table-read! Of course she's feeling the pressure. Plus she'll meet her co-star for the first time. The woman she's... supposed to kiss. Suddenly her bad mood transforms into nerves, and there are butterflies in her stomach that won't leave her alone.

It's not like she hasn't kissed anyone, honestly. She kissed a guy when she was twelve once. And she's been on a few dates here and there, but she's never felt that connection to someone, at least not strong enough to want to kiss them. And now she has to find a way to feel a connection with this person, generate sexual tension; despite it being just acting, chemistry has to come naturally to them, or else it'll feel fabricated. So this is a bit nerve-wracking, despite how silly it might sound.

They finally arrive at the fifth floor, and Tzuyu's cheeks are flushed as she steps out of the elevator, her stomach doing jumping jacks inside of her — she immediately sees the producer and writer Park Jihyo standing next to the door of the meeting room, speaking to a familiar face. It's none other than lead actress from Rising Sun Im Nayeon. She feels a bit bad about interrupting them, but it's Jihyo who notices her right away.

"Tzuyu!" she smiles from ear to ear — she sees the amount of paperwork she's carrying and takes it away from her, giving Nayeon some to hold too (she doesn't look thrilled about that). "Our Kwon Jinsol!"

She blushes, smiles sheepishly. "Hello."

"This is Im Nayeon," she signals at the brown-haired girl next to her, who now smiles proudly at the introduction. So Chaeyoung had been wrong then, Nayeon was going to play Ma Jooyoung after all. "You've heard of her, right?"

"Yes, of course," she nods. Tzuyu extends a hand to greet her, and Nayeon takes it with the same smile. "Nice to meet you. I really liked you in Rising Sun."

"You're Chou Tzuyu," she says. "Your last comeback was... okay."

Tzuyu blinks.

Jihyo hits Nayeon with her elbow on her ribs, making her bend over in pain at the sudden blow.

"Ouch."

"She has a big mouth," Jihyo says, apologizing with her eyes. "Too big, some people would say."

Tzuyu blinks again. 

"Okay."

"Anyway," Jihyo continues, pointedly glaring at Nayeon. "Nayeon will be playing the villain."

"Oh!" Tzuyu exclaims in genuine surprise (and feels a little relieved as well). Her manager takes the opportunity to free them of the paperwork, carrying into an office down the hall as they continue to speak. "I thought she was going to play Chef Jooyoung."

"No, no," Jihyo dismisses her with her spare hand. "She can't do that role, it's meant for someone else. She'll be playing Lee Sihyeon, the restaurant owner who hates Jinsol, as you may know."

Tzuyu turns to Nayeon, who is staring at Jihyo with annoyance, and bows to her, which changes her frown upside down.

"Nice to meet you. It'll be a pleasure to work with you."

"It will!"

Jihyo sighs. "Jooyoung's actress is waiting inside, I don't think we should keep her waiting for long."

"Who is it?" Tzuyu feels herself blurt out before she can help herself — it's hard not to let her curiosity get the best of her. She blushes a little, feeling a bit rude for asking so carelessly, but Jihyo just grins at her like it's a surprise.

"Oh, you'll love her," Jihyo places a hand on her lower back to gently guide her as she opens the door. "She's worked in many films as dramas —"

"Is this Tzuyu?!"

"Oh my God, she's so cute!"

Suddenly there are two women jumping in front of her, inspecting her face as she steps back in shock, squealing. Jihyo catches her before she can step into the carpet and fall, glaring at the blonde and black-haired girls. One is a little taller than the other, though not by much, and one of them bounces up and down in excitement, while the other looks interested, but not as bubbly.

"Momo, Sana, leave the girl alone, please," Jihyo rolls her eyes.

"Ah," Tzuyu says, as she giggles a bit nervously because of the scare she just had. "You're Mina's Japanese friends."

"Yes!" Sana grins, wrapping a hand around Tzuyu's shoulders and forcing Jihyo to step aside. "Does she talk much about us?"

"Uhm..." she frowns slightly, a bit put off by the constant contact. "A healthy amount?"

Momo nods. "That's enough."

"Personal space, hyenas," Jihyo glares, pulling Tzuyu away. She feels slightly relieved. "Don't they teach you about that in Japan?"

"You hired us," Momo purses her lips at her. "Now deal with the consequences."

"Don't make me regret it," Jihyo raises her eyebrows at them in defiance, and the others back down fairly quickly. Nayeon snickers in the background, the sound bringing Tzuyu a little comfort as she's in the middle of a staring contest that makes her feel like she caused it. "Momo here will be playing Hana and Sana will be playing Hyunjin, the other aspiring student chefs."

Tzuyu, despite feeling a little uncomfortable, bows anyway. "Let's take care of each other."

Sana nods happily, bowing as well.

"She's super cute! You hired the right lead, Jihyo."

Tzuyu blushes at the compliment. "Thank you."

"And awkward too," Nayeon comments behind her. "She'll be a good Jinsol."

"You're not helping."

Momo frowns. "Nayeon sucks at compliments."

"We knew that already," Sana sighs, and then starts playing with a strand of Momo's hair like it's nothing. These two really don't know the definition of personal space. "She was the worst to work with at Rising Sun, no offense."

Nayeon frowns at Sana's comment. "I'm an artist, thank you, you should know that already since we've been friends for like five years."

"I regret all of them," says Momo, trying to look intimidating, yet failing.

"Anyway, I was about to introduce you to your lead before I was _rudely_ interrupted," Jihyo continues, forcing Momo and Sana to move from the entrance so that Tzuyu can finally properly walk into the meeting room. "We were talking about your co-star. Jooyoung is played by a very successful actress, she was in lots of renowned dramas and even critically acclaimed films —"

Tzuyu sones out the blabbering, and looks around the room. Then she locks eyes with the girl from the elevator. Their eyes meet, and that overwhelming sense of familiarity returns to her. Where has she seen this girl before? Before she notices the girl stands up, looking slightly uncomfortable (probably because of the way she acted earlier, and because Tzuyu's sure she looks like she just saw a ghost) and then walks over to where they are.

"Hello," the short black haired girl bows. 

"Hello," Tzuyu says back, though a little confused as to what is going on.

"Yoo Jeongyeon, she's your Jinsol," Jihyo says — there's something even suggestive about her tone, something Tzuyu can't even place. "Tzuyu, this is your Jooyoung."

Tzuyu stops in her tracks for a second. Elevator girl is her love interest. That's where she recognized her! Yoo Jeongyeon had won multiple awards for her acting in several films and had been in tons of dramas, but she had never actually been a lead for any of them. She's what a lot of people would describe as 'a real actress'; someone who can play tons of roles and perform excellently outside of dramas too. Jeongyeon's a huge name right now, how didn't she recognize her? Does this mean Jeongyeon is actually mean? Tzuyu swallows hard as they are forced to shake hands, both of them looking equally uncomfortable.

A good ten seconds of complete silence passes. Nayeon laughs in the back. Jihyo hits her again.

"Aren't you guys excited?!" Jihyo tries to liven up the air, but Jeongyeon just makes a sound of approval that only manages to make Tzuyu dislike her more.

"Yes," Tzuyu says, forcing a smile. "Very."

Jihyo guides them to their chairs as the rest of the crew begins to roll in, and she has to sit next to Jeongyeon, who refuses to actually look at her. It all just makes Tzuyu feel all the more nervous; feeling like she sticks out like a sore thumb in a room full of pros. Nayeon sits beside Jeongyeon and they whisper to each other, Nayeon snickering a bit louder every time. Jeongyeon turns to Tzuyu for a second.

"Are you comfortable?"

The question takes her by surprise. "Yes?"

"Okay."

Jeongyeon nods and goes right back to ignoring her. Tzuyu suppresses a sigh.

To her credit, once the table-read starts, Jeongyeon is very professional. She doesn't look at her beyond reciting their lines at all, but Tzuyu guesses she doesn't need to. Nayeon is a good villain, delivering her lines amazingly (Maybe there's a natural villain running in her veins, Sana next to her comments on how good she is at playing a bitch because she's already one and Tzuyu has to bite back a laugh when Nayeon glares at her from across the room because she has supersonic hearing apparently); Sana and Momo are funny and charming, as they usually are in dramas.

In truth, Jeongyeon... Jeongyeon is fantastic. She might be a bit standoffish in real life, but she's a very good actress, and it helps that most of their scenes are about Tzuyu's character being intimidated by her because she feels like that when she's around her performing. As for her performance, Tzuyu just hopes she doesn't suck too much.

All in all, it's a success, and once they are finally done it's at least twelve PM and her stomach is grumbling and begging for food. Jihyo congratulates her on her first table-reading, tells her that she's done an amazing job and that the part fits her perfectly — then Nayeon drags her away with some excuse to her office and she's left alone as her manager waits outside for her. Well, she's not alone. Jeongyeon hasn't left yet either.

She doesn't want to leave today and come back tomorrow thinking her co-star is mean. She really, really doesn't. 

"Jeongyeon," she calls, blushing a little. "It's a bit late..."

Jeongyeon doesn't really say anything, just scratches the back of her head and avoids her gaze.

Still trying to muster enough courage, Tzuyu clears her throat and continues. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch with me. Maybe talk about our characters, our takes on them and maybe talk about the chemistry and—"

"No," she shakes her head.

"Huh?"

"I don't really do small talk."

"Oh," she says. 

She watches as Jeongyeon walks away with not another word, running past her like she doesn't even want to be with her for five seconds more, rendering Tzuyu speechless. She stays in the meeting room for a few seconds alone, dreading the next days of shooting. How the hell is Tzuyu going to ever be comfortable with her as a co-star? Tzuyu is beginning to think that maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i refer to them as their character names in the scenes where they are filming/acting bc i just think it's better to differentiate between their scenes and real life yknow? plus it helps to see the parallels between jinsol and jooyoung and tzuyu and jeongyeon, i think

Tzuyu doesn't try to hide her nerves as she steps into her first day of filming. The anxious knot inside her stomach feels like it's weighing her down, the nervous lump on her throat making it go dry in a matter of seconds. She's barely slept; she pretty much spent the entire night rolling around in bed as a result of nerves, excitement, worry, and anxiousness. 

So much could go wrong today — she could forget her lines in front of everyone, her delivery could be awful, something could go wrong with her costume, maybe she'd get in a car accident on the way there. And she doesn't even want to think about having to share scenes with Jeongyeon and having to put up with her rudeness. What was up with all that ' _I don't do small talk_ ' comment the other day? What's so bad about freaking small talk? 

The girls had all freaked out when she had told them who her co-star was — Jeongyeon is incredibly talented and she's been in a ton of movies too, so she's a household name in the Korean acting industry, it was only natural for them to freak out. Chaeyoung had even gone as far as to jump on the couch in excitement because she'd been in one of her favorite movies of all time, too. Tzuyu didn't have the heart to tell them that she was actually rude so she'd told them that _yes, she's lovely, yes, she smells like peaches and lavender_ ( _no I don't know what kind of perfume she wears, Chaeyoung_ ) and _yes, I am happy she's my co-star_.

She was moving around so much that at one point last night that Chaeyoung had just decided to leave after being woken up for the third time in a row from the bottom of the bunk bed. She froze when she felt her get up and cringed when she glared at her.

"Take a sleeping pill next time," Chaeyoung told her, then took her pillow and as upset as someone who had just been woken up could be, headed to the living room to sleep on their couch.

Even though she spent her whole night tossing and turning, her excitement and anxiousness only seemed to grow on the way to the set, almost unbearingly so as she stepped into set and is immediately greeted by Jihyo, excitedly waving her way. She tries to smile but she's sure it probably looks strained. Her nerves are killing her, worse than during a concert.

"Tzuyu!" She calls, jogging to where she is, leaving a crew member behind in the middle of conversation. Tzuyu says hi back, but it's barely audible. "Have you slept well?"

"Yes..." she replies, but it's obvious it's a lie.

Jihyo hums, squinting slightly. "You look a little tired."

"I was too nervous to sleep." Tzuyu sighs, blushing a little. 

Jihyo's gaze instantly softens, and she places a friendly and comforting hand on her shoulder that helps her just the tiniest bit. "You shouldn't worry too much, you'll do great."

"Did someone say great?" Suddenly Nayeon is next to Jihyo, peeping over her shoulder just to find Tzuyu. Her smile falters a little. "Oh. You weren't talking about me... Weird."

Tzuyu bites back the chuckle that threatens to escape her when Jihyo rolls her eyes at her.

"Nobody was talking about you," she says. "Don't worry, we would never do that."

Nayeon purses her lips in annoyance. "You're lying, I know because everyone always talks about how you can't shut up about me."

"I don't have time for this," Jihyo sighs in frustration as she places a hand on her temple, foreseeing a headache already. It's like, seven AM.

"Me neither," Nayeon nods with her, seemingly not caring about the woman next to her who's ready to hammer her head in. She turns to Tzuyu for a second. "Chou Tzuyu, you look like shit."

Tzuyu purses her lips in protest. "Thank you."

Nayeon either doesn't notice her sarcastic tone or she doesn't care. It may very well be both.

"You're welcome."

"I couldn't sleep," she tries to explain. "I was, uh, really anxious. I kept tossing and turning in bed."

"It's your first day, rookie," Nayeon shrugs... in an attempt to comfort her? Jihyo looks pretty confused as well. "It's normal to feel all weird. But a true professional doesn't let it get to them, right, Jihyo? _I_ don't let it get to me."

Jihyo blinks. "You threw up during your first day of shooting for Rising Sun."

"Shut up!" Nayeon hits (her boss) Jihyo across the shoulder, a little too forcefully, but Jihyo doesn't seem to mind at all — In fact, Jihyo breaks into uncontrollable giggles like they're long time friends. They probably are. There's an unexplainable fondness to every sigh, every roll of their eyes. "It was all like, pent up saliva. There was virtually no vomit in that, so it's not throwing up. It's... reverse drinking. Kind of."

"It's nausea vomit, Nayeon. It's still vomit."

"It's _not_ —"

Tzuyu just stares at the two women as they start bickering back and forth on what actually qualifies as vomit, decides she doesn't want to have this conversation after just coming back from breakfast and slowly walks away, pretty much unnoticed.

She wanders off, searching for her dressing room. She's greeted by tons of crew members as she walks around set, and she politely bows back at them, but she's pretty sure she still looks like hell — she couldn't properly hide her eye bags, and her hair looks pretty messy too despite having hidden it under a hoodie. She feels a little stupid asking anyone where her dressing room is, so she decides to look for it herself, which probably isn't the smartest idea.

In her little journey, she accidentally stumbles onto the costume department door and she finds both Sana and Momo, giggling at something on their phones, and they immediately look up at her when she comes into the room. Tzuyu's about to apologize and turn around when they start greeting her and telling her to stay.

"Were you looking for something?" Momo asks after they greet each other. "You seem kind of lost."

"Yeah, actually," Tzuyu blushes a little. Was it that noticeable? "My dressing room."

"Oh, it's next to ours," Sana giggles a little at the way Tzuyu grows embarrassed. "Just next door from this one."

"Thank you," she says, genuinely, despite feeling like an absolute idiot. Before she has any time to actually leave, Sana speaks again.

"Tzuyu-ah," She smiles at her, sweetly. "You look like you didn't get a wink of sleep last night."

Tzuyu sighs, "I didn't."

"Are you nervous?" Momo looks at her with pity. "I was very nervous on my first day as an actress."

"Yes, I am," she nods, resting her frame on a wall. She's still feeling extra sleepy.

"Try not to be!" Sana tries to cheer her up. "You're in good hands. Jihyo is a really good producer and she really likes you; Momo and I will try to help you as much as we can and Nayeon..." she trails off.

"Nayeon is Nayeon," Momo finishes for her, and Sana nods. Tzuyu bites back a grin, but can't help the way the corner of her lips turns onwards.

"And Jeongyeon is an amazing actress," Sana continues, and the mention of her suddenly makes Tzuyu drop her almost smile all of a sudden. "Isn't she, Momo? She's really nice too."

"She gave me a piggyback once," Momo adds like it's crucial information. 

"She takes care of all of us," Sana finishes. "She'll take care of you too."

Tzuyu really, really doubts that. She quickly makes an excuse about having to find the Hair and Makeup crew (which isn't an excuse actually, because she does) before bolting out the door.

She turns next door, where she finds a white door, exactly the same as Sana's and Momo's. Tzuyu isn't sure if she should open it, but since it's apparently her dressing room she reaches for the doorknob anyway. She doesn't get to twist it though, because the door suddenly opens and she's met with Jeongyeon's big coffee eyes.

"Oh," Tzuyu says. And because she can't think of anything else, she goes, "sorry."

Jeongyeon's eyes drift behind her quickly, like she can barely stand looking at her. Tzuyu holds back a frown.

"We are sharing a dressing room," she states, ignoring Tzuyu's apology. 

_I'd rather shoot myself in the leg_ , Tzuyu thinks. She smiles anyway, despite the fact that it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I didn't know."

"You look tired," Jeongyeon looks at her up and down. Tzuyu feels her nose wrinkle at the action.

"I am."

She doesn't provide an explanation. She no longer wears her strained smile; she's pretty sure that Jeongyeon can tell she's pissed. Jeongyeon takes one look at her, and then she walks away, eyes avoiding her the entire time.

The minute she's out of sight, Tzuyu feels like she can breathe again. No matter how much of a good actress Jeongyeon is, she clearly can't hide how much she dislikes her. Is it method acting? Is that why she acts that way around her, to prepare for her role as Chef Jooyoung? According to Sana and Momo's words, she's supposed to be caring and protective, but Tzuyu has yet to feel that warmth. The only thing Jeongyeon seems to feel around her is disgust.

Still, Tzuyu stares as Jeongyeon walks away from her. She meets Jihyo at the end of the hallway, sees the way Jihyo and her laugh together, the way Jeongyeon smiles. There's a moment where Jeongyeon wraps her arm around Jihyo's shoulder and Tzuyu realizes that they are pretty good friends, as everyone but her seems to be with Jeongyeon. Maybe she's the problem. Maybe Tzuyu did something wrong, but she can't figure out what.

It turns out it's easy to film her scenes with Jeongyeon — the hatred Chef Jooyoung feels for Jinsol seems to come naturally for Jeongyeon. Jinsol is kinder in their interactions still, trying to understand just why the other woman feels so strongly for someone she's barely even met.

There's this one scene where Jinsol first gets to the restaurant, and Sihyeon (Nayeon's character, the villain), is there waiting for her. She's supposed to be friendly at first, someone the audience roots for before she lets her jealousy win over her and she tries to knock down the heroine. It's this moment where Jinsol is on cloud 9, where she feels like she's sleepwalking — and then she meets Jooyoung, her boss, who is a complete asshole and bursts her bubble right away.

And, it's not a bad thing, per se. Jinsol is a daydreamer, and she needs a reality check. But it's the way she just... doesn't understand _why_ at first. Jinsol can't grasp why Jooyoung would treat her like that without even getting to know her.

(Tzuyu knows why, of course. She's read the script. Tzuyu knows Jooyoung is just pushing Jinsol because she believes in her, sees how great she is. And she can't own up to her own feelings, that she falls for the person she's the harshest towards — Jinsol's generosity, her clumsiness, her perseverance, are all things that Jooyoung finds precious but can't admit to.)

Tzuyu can't help but feel like Jinsol, so the task comes easy for her. Jihyo even congratulates them on their chemistry, which has Tzuyu almost raising an eyebrow at her because _no_ , there is absolutely no chemistry. She worries about how the next couple of days are going to be like, when she has to pretend to fall for her, act like she doesn't hate her. Tzuyu is a professional, but she's not sure Jeongyeon is.

She's still terribly intimidating too. Her performances are all good, so when Tzuyu messes up in a take she feels terribly and utterly useless next to her. Jeongyeon doesn't make fun of her or anything, but Tzuyu's a little paranoid already and she can imagine what she thinks; she wants to prove herself to her, let her know she's just as talented.

Once the day of filming is over, a lot of the scenes for the first episode are already filmed. Jihyo explains that they'll have to film in order of episode, so they can edit them as fast as they can so they can get the network's approval — A lot of dramas are filmed this way, she lets her know. Some even film until 30 minutes of the episode's release. They would probably still be filming while the first episodes are being aired.

As Tzuyu gets ready to leave and she's packing up her stuff in the dressing room quietly next to Jeongyeon, she speaks with Mina on the phone. She balances her phone in one ear, while she uses both hands to stuff things into her bag.

"Yes, Mina, everything went well," She cringes when she hears the yelling from the other side of the line. "Could you tell Dahyun to stop screaming in the back? I'm not deaf... No, Dahyun, I'm not asking her for an autograph, shut up..."

There's an uncomfortable and charged silence floating over them once she hangs up her phone, where Tzuyu desperately wants to say something. She really doesn't want to dislike Jeongyeon; she doesn't want to spend promotion days lying through her teeth about liking her co-star, making up funny stories for fans and trying to smile with her in pictures. She genuinely doesn't want to have to put up with that, and she doesn't want to think her co-star is a pain in the ass for no reason, either.

She sighs. She turns around to say something, but Jeongyeon is already looking at her.

Her gaze drops anywhere but at Tzuyu when she catches her staring.

"Your hoodie."

She frowns in confusion. "Huh?"

"You're forgetting your hoodie," she points at the chair, where her white hoodie is waiting for her.

"Oh."

For a second she finds it sweet.

"I don't like messes," Jeongyeon says after a beat of silence passes. There's a moment where their eyes both meet where Tzuyu feels a little like an animal in a cage — but it's so quick she thinks she might have dreamt it because Jeongyeon leaves before she can even say anything.

Filming gets easier with time. She's not a bundle of nerves all the time anymore, even though she does get a bit nervous every time before she starts to perform; she doesn't think that anxiousness is ever going to leave, though. The rest of the cast tells her as much. At least she's not as nervous as to force Chaeyoung to sleep somewhere else, so she considers it a victory of sorts.

She becomes closer to Sana and Momo too. They are fun to be around — Momo is really funny and always down to party, and Sana is pretty shameless too, it's a bit refreshing to see even though Tzuyu rolls her eyes at least 60% of the time she spends with her. Still, they always know how to cheer her up, shamelessness and all.

Jihyo is lovely as usual, always willing to help. She offers to read her lines with her, asks her what she thinks of the script and if she would like to add something. Sometimes she asks her to go throught the script with her so she can ask her if she thinks it's something that Jinsol would do. It's nice, to be asked for her opinions. Tzuyu's not really used to that, so it's always a bit of a surprise when Jihyo... well, _cares_. And Nayeon is Nayeon. She brings out a cake with her face on it for breakfast once and yells when someone cuts into it. There is no better description than that.

But Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon is still pretty much horrible.

Even though they share a dressing room, Tzuyu is pretty sure she owns maybe around 15% of it. The rest is Jeongyeon's, given how much she obsessively cleans the place. It's like she drew a line on it with invisible tape. It's the only thing she talks to her about, anyway. About keeping the damn dressing room clean and tidy. It's like sharing a school locker room with her mom.

No matter how much Tzuyu tries, she can't bring Jeongyeon to look at her for more than five seconds. Nevermind starting a conversation with the girl; she's out of the room before Tzuyu can even glance at her way some days. Jeongyeon just can't stand being near her.

Tzuyu knows she's the only one Jeongyeon acts this way around, because whenever she's interacting with someone else she's all jokes and friendly smiles. It's so, _so_ frustrating because Tzuyu actually tries to do something with this non-existent relationship, but she gets absolutely nothing in return. So then she just stops.

It doesn't help that sometimes she has these weird interactions with Jeongyeon that she can't even describe. There was one scene where Jinsol and Jooyoung had a talk about the restaurant and it's a huge fight that is supposed to be this huge pivotal moment for the two, the moment Jinsol decides to prove her wrong, where she stands up to her. The moment the scene was over, Jeongyeon cleared her throat to get her attention, but when Tzuyu looked up to her (she was ready for a snarky comment, honestly she was still a bit riled up from the scene) her gaze had faltered.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and Tzuyu was completely thrown off balance.

"Eh?"

"It was an intense scene," Jeongyeon nodded at her, but her eyes dropped back to her shoes. "Are you okay?"

Tzuyu didn't even know how to respond to that. It was the first thing she'd said to her in days and she asked if she was okay. What the hell?

"I..." she started, then trailed off. It reminded her of that time when they had both met and she had completely dismissed her yet still asked if she was comfortable when they'd both sat down together to read their lines aloud. Tzuyu realizes some time has passed and she still hadn't responded, so she clears her throat. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Are you...?"

Jeongyeon nodded, and that had been the end of it, pretty much. Tzuyu's still confused by the whole thing though.

She desperately wants to ask Jihyo and/or Nayeon what Jeongyeon's deal actually is, because they all look extremely close (she looks close to anyone who isn't Tzuyu, but Nayeon and Jihyo especially), but she also doesn't want to seem rude or offend someone (unlike a certain someone, she cares about other people's feelings).

So no, she still doesn't understand Yoo Jeongyeon. Or maybe she understand she's rude, but no, she doesn't understand _why_.

The worst part is that she still admires her, though. Even though she's rude and she hates her guts, Tzuyu is sometimes rendered speechless while she watches her perform. She completely transforms into her character, it's mesmerizing to watch, really; when she acts, she _is_ Chef Jooyoung, everyone in the room believes she is too, and it helps Tzuyu immerse into her own character as well. Jeongyeon's an amazing actress.

(Sometimes she thinks about what a perfect cast she is. When she read the script for the first time, she'd pictured someone like Jeongyeon, with a sharp jaw and short black hair, piercing eyes. When she's lying in bed at night, not being able to sleep, she thinks about how if she were to ever fall for another girl... maybe she'd look just like her.

But with manners, you know? So she's disqualified already.)

Today isn't much different. They are filming the last scene of the day, one where Jooyoung and Jinsol are cleaning up the kitchen after a busy day where the restaurant was painfully underemployed — it's supposed to be one of their more tender scenes, one where the dynamic finally starts to shift between them. Tzuyu reaches for the napkin, begins to clean the counter as she smiles sweetly, fully immersed into her character.

"It was a busy day," Jinsol says, although the line is about how exhausted she is, she's still calm and happy, albeit tired. "I think we make a good team, Chef. I know you won't admit it, but you know it."

Jooyoung bites back a smile. "Well..."

She turns around to face her superior, who is now smiling at her.

"You'll admit it?!"

"You did a good job," she nods growing a bit more stoic. "Don't let it get to your head, though. You still have a lot to learn."

Jinsol's grin is as big as the plates they just washed. "I won't. I have a lot to learn from you, Chef. I know that already."

Now Jooyoung allows herself to smile at her, goes as far as reaching out her hand to ruffle the other girl's hair.

"Good."

There's a moment that they share — Jooyoung stares at Jinsol's eyes, and something flashes between them, like a volt of electricty. The world seems to freeze when Jooyoung's breath hitches as she stares at her, and it's Tzuyu who feels something inside of her flip at the sight; it's not just Jinsol who feels like she wants to reach and fix the loose strand of hair in Jeongyeon's face, it's her own hand the one that rises to do so, but then hangs there for a second because she realizes what she's trying to do.

"Cut!" The director yells, and just like that they both break apart like they were burned. Jeongyeon is a good actress, she really had her daydreaming for a second. That's embarrassing.

"Fuck, that was good," Jihyo nods while she steps into the scene, as the hair and makeup crew rushes in to fix them up. "There was _so_ much sexual tension there."

Tzuyu blushes up to her ears, doesn't even dare to catch a glimpse of Jeongyeon next to her because she'd probably die of embarrassment right then and there. This was the first scene they filmed where there was any sort of... romantic undertones, or at least where the first signs of romance ever started showing up. She was worried about them in the past, considering how badly she and Jeongyeon seemed to get along, but it seems she made a big deal out of nothing. Jeongyeon is an incredible actress after all; it was stupid to doubt her abilities to make others think she actually was in love with Tzu— Jinsol. _Jinsol._

"It's called acting, it wasn't that good," Nayeon rolls her eyes as she enters the scene as well, munching on some popcorn. "But it was okay. You guys have sexual tension, it's true."

"Let's talk about literally anything else," Jeongyeon pleads.

"What? It's a good thing in a drama," Nayeon continues, ignoring how red Tzuyu is getting. "When the leads have no chemistry it looks forced. You guys have that _je ne sais quois._ "

Jeongyeon stares at her friend. "You do not speak french."

"Neither do you," she glares back.

"I think this is a wrap for today," Jihyo interrupts potential bickering, staring down at the clock in her wrist. "We have all the footage we wanted to get today, just in time for dinner actually, so I think we'll call it a day. What do you guys think?"

Tzuyu can't help but notice the way Jihyo's hand drops to Nayeon's lower back and stays there. She doesn't say anything, though.

"That sounds great," Nayeon smiles at her, looking excited about being able to go home. "I want to go to a good restaurant."

"We can go to that one down the street of my mom's house, the one with the pretty white lights," Nayeon nods excitedly when Jihyo finishes speaking. She looks up to Jeongyeon and Tzuyu, who still haven't looked at each other. "You guys wanna come?"

"I gotta get home," Tzuyu cringes a little. Truth be told, she'd rather go to some fancy restaurant and have a nice dinner (she hasn't eaten good food in a while. Dahyun's been sick for a couple of days which means Mina is in charge of the cooking in the dorm instead, which is some form of medieval torture, Tzuyu's sure of it). "I have to feed my pets. Dahyun's in Japan and the last time I let Chaeyoung feed the cats on her own she managed to give them diarrhea."

Nayeon's smile drops. Tzuyu kind of enjoys it. "Lovely."

"Very."

"What about you?" Jihyo nods at Jeongyeon, waiting for an answer.

Jeongyeon scrunches up her nose, then shakes her head. "I don't think so. I'm exhausted."

Jihyo shrugs. "Suit yourself. Remember to leave the apartment door unlocked, I forgot my keys."

"Oh, you guys live together?" Tzuyu asks, curiosity peaked.

Nayeon nods. "The three of us."

Nayeon and Jihyo part together, talking to each other. Tzuyu doesn't bother staying to watch them walk away; she rushes to her dressing room and picks up her stuff before Jeongyeon gets there and she has to stand another five minutes of awkward silence with the girl who (not so) secretly hates her guts.

She walks to the entrance of the building with her bag in hand after successfully avoiding another encounter with Jeongyeon, dials the number of the company and waits for her manager to pick up.

"Tzuyu," she tells her, from the other side of the line. "We kind of have a problem."

Her manager proceeds to tell her that the Chofer's car who was supposed to pick her up suddenly broke down, and that the company didn't have any available cars at the moment. Tzuyu swallowed back a sigh. Out of all days, the one where she got out early...

"I'll take the bus then."

"No way!" Her manager screams at her. "You can't do that!"

Tzuyu frowns. "Why not?"

"Besides being one of the most famous people in Korea alone in a bus full of people, no one can see you leaving the set. You need to be discreet about this until the company decides they are ready to announce you're working in such a project."

Tzuyu sighs as she runs a hand through her hair, knowing she's right. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"I'll... I'll drive you."

Tzuyu turns around to see none other than Yoo Jeongyeon, holding her car keys in one hand and looking miserable at the prospect of having to do this. Tzuyu puts a hand through her phone as her manager panics on the other side.

"What?"

"I'll drive you," she nods. "I don't mind."

(She looks like she minds.)

Every fiber in Tzuyu's being is screaming at her to wait for another two hours for the company to find another car, that anything other than sitting in a car with Jeongyeon for like half an hour is better, but she wants to go home, take a bath and feed her cats. Some minutes of discomfort have never killed anybody... right?

Tzuyu doesn't really have a choice here. She tells her manager that she's found a ride, _no she's not getting into a car with a kidnapper she's a crew member and her windows are tinted so there's not a problem okay bye—_

They walk to Jeongyeon's car in silence. She's not a talker, she never has been, and Jeongyeon isn't a talker around her so it's almost a win for her if it weren't for the fact that the silence is so uncomfortable she thinks she might run out of breath. They arrive where a fully black car is waiting for them, and without a word, Jeongyeon unlocks the doors and they step inside wordlessly.

"Where do you live?" she asks. No small talk.

Tzuyu gives her the address, and Jeongyeon types it into her GPS, and off they go.

She tries to turn on some music, but the radio is playing one of Tuzyu's songs which makes her cringe a little. She doesn't ask her to turn it off, but she's put off by it. But... Jeongyeon is... bopping her head to it? Before she can even ask about it, the song is over and Jeongyeon is back to being a rock. That was weird.

"I'll make a slight stop on the way there," she says. "I need to do something."

Tzuyu bites back a frown. "Okay."

Is Jeongyeon going to kill her and ditch her in some ditch in the middle of nowhere? Probably.

It's about fifteen minutes into the ride when Jeongyeon stops in a street that looks almost deserted; It's in a little town that doesn't seem alive — there's no one at the street, nothing but the neon sign of a bar down the block to indicate someone still even lives here. Jeongyeon steps out of the car. It doesn't seem like she expects Tuzyu to do so too, but she does anyway because she's too curious about what the hell they are doing.

"You could've waited in the car," she points out.

"We could've gone straight home."

Jeongyeon nods, chuckles a little, even. "Okay."

There's what Tzuyu can only label as a small sized shop in front of them, but the lights are off and Tuzyu can't tell what it sells or what it advertises until Jeongyeon pulls out a set of keys and opens it. She watches with a frown, not understanding what's going on. In the blink of an eye, Jeongyeon presses a switch on the wall, and the entire place lights up and then.

And then Tzuyu realizes.

"Oh my God!"

The place comes alive as barks and meows fill in the silence. There are puppies everywhere. Well, not all of them are puppies, there are old dogs, big dogs, little dogs biting at the hem of her jeans, barking at her, begging for some food as Jeongyeon walks behind the counter and pulls out a giant bag of dog food. Tzuyu starts to think that Maybe she died at some point because this is her personal version of Heaven.

She quickly crutches down to pet them, feeling her mood instantly lighten up as the puppies play with her hands and the older dogs try to lick her face, fur sticking to her clothes.

"They are so cute..." she murmurs excitedly, not sure if Jeongyeon can hear her. Tzuyu feels like a little kid on Christmas day. She looks at Jeongyeon, and finds that she's smiling too. "What is this place?"

"Me and my sister's animal shelter," she nods. "Seungyeon. She lives upstairs, I come here at night to feed them and spend some time with them, but I take care of the finances of this place."

"This is a dream," Tzuyu says, as a bunch of little puppies sit on her lap and start nibbling at her nose. "They are so cute!"

"I love animals," Jeongyeon fills the dog bowls, and they all run to them, leaving Tuzyu in awe as she watches them run around. "You have cats, right?"

"Three," she nods, mesmerized by the cute animals surrounding her. "I also have two dogs, but all of them are back home in Taiwan with my parents. I love animals, just any kind of them."

Jeongyeon nods at that, doesn't say anything else as they watch the puppies eat. Then she walks over to the counter again, takes another huge bag of cat food and looks at Tzuyu expectantly, holding a cup with her other hand.

"... Do you want to feed the cats?"

Yeah, Tzuyu's definitely in Heaven.

Jeongyeon guides her to another room behind the counter, where Tzuyu is greeted by a bunch of cats of different colors and razes, white cats, black cats, orange cats — some lazily waking up and yawning, others meowing for food as she crutches down to pet all of them. She and Jeongyeon fill their bowls happily, contently watching the cats eat and purr all around them.

"I didn't know you had a shelter," she says after a few minutes, reaching out to pet a fluffy cat as it sleeps. It rolls over in its sleep, sticking its tummy out for scratches.

"Huh, I don't think we know much about each other," Jeongyeon scratches the back of her head. First she avoids any situation where they have to spend time together, and now complains about how little they know each other. This woman sends too many mixed signals.

Tzuyu bites her lip deep in thought, stays like that for a few minutes until Jeongyeon tells her she should drive her back home, that it's getting late. As they lock the place up once again (with the promise that Jeongyeon is coming back soon), leaving the lights on for the dogs and cats to see, Tzuyu can't help but think that maybe she's got Jeongyeon all wrong. When she sees how she says goodbye to all of the animals, how she cares for them... maybe she isn't as bad as Tzuyu thought she was.


	3. Chapter 3

It's harder to get mad at Jeongyeon these days, especially now knowing she has a shelter full of puppies and kittens that she takes care of after they are done with their scenes. Mind you, Jeongyeon is still pretty much the same around her, maybe a little less rough around the edges, but she stills tries to avoid any second she has to spend alone with Tzuyu and their only conversation topic is still pretty much the state of cleanliness in their dressing room.

Even then, Tzuyu can't bring herself to see her as the same cold, serious person she used to think she was. There's something more to her now; she can't wipe away the memory of her taking care of animals, brushing their fur and making sure they are safe, and crutching down and telling them she'll see them again soon. It's the complete opposite of how Tzuyu pictured her in her free time, honestly (maybe smoking cigarettes, playing darts or something mysterious like that). It's like she's shown her another layer of her personality, one that Tzuyu can't forget about just like that.

And Tzuyu also realizes and knows she's not the easiest person to be around of either — she's a bit too quiet and she's been accused of having no personality before by a couple of angry commenters. So, she supposes she should just stop trying to judge Jeongyeon altogether. Work with what she has so far.

So Tzuyu opts to just think Jeongyeon is socially awkward, gives her the benefit of the doubt once again. Her members used to tease her all the time for being socially awkward too (which she has always attributed to the fact that she was never very confident in her Korean skills or her charisma for that matter; sometimes she feels like a pretty face and nothing more, so she tends to shut herself off a lot), so Tzuyu guesses she can give Jeongyeon that at least.

Plus, Jinsol and Jooyoung's relationship is starting to change — the chef is still pretty strict with Tzuyu's character, but there's an undeniable shift in their relationship. Jihyo describes it as the start of a bond and goes as far as saying that 'Jooyoung sees Jinsoul with new eyes, as does the other'. It'd be nice if their real relationship (if she could even call it that) could have that as well.

It's clear from their dialogue and scenes too that something's shifted. Perhaps it's because Tzuyu's mind has slightly changed as well, but she enjoys filming with Jeongyeon now. Jeongyeon has always been enjoyable to watch; she's a subtle performer, she conveys emotion like no one Tzuyu has ever seen and she's supposedly trained with the best teachers her company could offer. Jeongyeon has always been a great actress, and professional too (when she didn't spend every minute of the day glaring at Tzuyu and running away from her or not holding back the elevator for her) but the state of their relationship made Tzuyu want to run away from her every time they were done filming. And maybe that added to Jinsol and Jooyoung's relationship too, but it also made the "friendlier" scenes harder to film. Now she feels a little more relaxed; not so tense.

(Jeongyeon is lucky Tzuyu really, really likes animals. Maybe if it had been an orphanage instead of an animal shelter she'd still hate her.)

In the next days after Jeongyeon drove her home, Tzuyu tries to be kinder and a bit sweeter. Even though it doesn't help much she doesn't feel as defeated when she acts the way she does around her. Jeongyeon is finishing her last touches of makeup while laughing with Nayeon. It ceases when Tzuyu walks into the dressing room though, and she's very aware of how Jeongyeon grows a little tenser. The makeup artist finishes with Jeongyeon's face and moves on to Tzuyu as she sits down. It's too early to properly function, closing her eyes and almost feeling herself fall asleep as the brush strokes her features. She doesn't want to though, she has something she wants to ask the older woman.

Momentarily forgetting that Jeongyeon seems to hate small talk, she asks, "...How was your weekend?" though her voice sounds a little unsure (probably because she is too).

She can practically hear Jeongyeon gulp.

"It was fine."

"Okay," she says, but she doesn't say anything more because 1. her answer was exactly what she expected it'd be which is a little disappointing, 2. she listens as Nayeon slaps Jeongyeon on the arm, the sound echoing through the dressing room and forcing Tzuyu to open her eyes once again.

Jeongyeon is blushing. Nayeon looks like she wants to laugh, the kind of frustrated laughter she often hears from Jeongyeon when she's talking to the older girl. They stare at each other for a second, as Nayeon raises her eyebrows at her best friend, urging her to do something.

Jeongyeon clears her throat. "How was yours?"

Tzuyu doesn't mean to, but she can' help when she perks up at the question. She was definitely not expecting her to ask.

"It was good, thank you," she has to bite the inside of her cheek not to smile.

"Good," she nods at her, turning to look at Tzuyu this time. Their eyes cross for a second, and the action makes Tzuyu feel something inside of her flip at the sight of Jeongyeon's eyes, but the other quickly looks away, standing up. "I'll see if Jihyo needs help with something."

"You idiot, you'll be on set in five minutes," Nayeon purses her lips. "What the hell are you going to help with?"

Tzuyu sees Jeongyeon shrug. "Stuff?"

Before she can leave though, Tzuyu is reaching for her arm without really thinking about it since she can't stand up while the makeup artist works. "Wait, unnie," she says. Her hand latches onto her arm, and Jeongyeon stops in her tracks. Tzuyu looks up to see her impulsively and Jeongyeon kind of looks like the air has been knocked out of her. Then she realizes what she's done and let's go, blushing profusely. "Ah, sorry."

Jeongyeon... is blushing. She clears her throat. "What's wrong?"

"I just..." Tzuyu starts, then wanders off. She shakes her head. "How are the dogs?"

The question takes the short-haired girl by surprise, who forms a perfectly round O with her lips. Then as quickly as it came it's gone and replaced by a chuckle. A chuckle. Jeongyeon is smiling at her and it doesn't feel sarcastic like last time. Crazy stuff.

"They are fine," she nods, a smile settling to her lips. Tzuyu thinks she might be dreaming (Not that she has dreams about Jeongyeon smiling at her). But the smile leaves quickly too, like she realized she's not being her usual self and it's replaced by her characteristic stare that Tzuyu can never quite categorize — or she thought she could, but now she's not so sure. It feels different for some reason. "Don't worry, okay?"

Tzuyu is nodding before she knows it. "Okay."

Jeongyeon nods in approval and leaves without another word. Her eyes unwillingly follow her figure as she does so in the mirror. Tzuyu relaxes again into her chair, feeling slightly more chipper than before, and lets the makeup artist finish her up before she's leaving too.

Tzuyu realizes Nayeon is still here, watching her. She's never actually been alone with her in the same room, she tries to avoid it at pretty much every chance she gets because Nayeon is... Nayeon is too _Nayeon_ sometimes, and she likes her self-esteem intact, thank you very much. She's squinting at her. Tzuyu tries to stare back, but she can't.

"Why are you being nice to her?" Nayeon asks, directly.

Tzuyu frowns slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you being nice?" Nayeon purses her lips in annoyance at the question, but then gestures at the door with her head. "To Jeongyeon."

Tzuyu is quiet for a second, not sure how to respond, but then she just shakes her head slightly. It's Nayeon, she's her co-worker and she can deal with her. In small doses. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, I just thought I'd ask," Nayeons shrugs like she doesn't care, but there's always been something a little feline in her eyes and they jump out when she talks now. "You didn't like her much a couple of days ago, is all."

She supposes she's never been particularly friendly with her, not since they started filming at least and Jeongyeon had become an unbearable presence. But Nayeon hadn't seen her try to be nice those times before they began filming, so she can't really blame her if she thinks she's the one being an asshole to her best friend.

It seems she's taken too much time to respond because Nayeon is talking before she can speak again. "What dogs were you talking about?"

"Ah," Tzuyu says, taken by surprise by the question. "Just - she showed me the shelter she has with her sister the other day, when she drove me back home."

"She drove you home?" Nayeon lifts an eyebrow at her, her eyes a little widened. "Why didn't that dumbass tell me?" She murmurs to herself when Tzuyu simply nods — she isn't sure she was meant to listen to that, but Tzuyu tries to explain anyway.

"My manager said our chofer's car broke down," she begins, "Jeongyeon was the only one around or I would've had to take the bus home and it was almost midnight —"

"That bastard," Nayeon shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe she didn't tell me."

A thought passes through Tzuyu's head, one that has her holding her breath, but she bites her lip and talks anyway.

"Listen, I'm sorry if you're dating her —"

Nayeon stops dead in her tracks, throws her head back and roars with laughter. Tzuyu grows red in embarrassment, but Nayeon doesn't seem to care as she hits her in the shoulder (very strongly by the way) and laughs some more.

"Dating Jeongyeon?!" There are tears in the corner of Nayeon's eyes, and Tzuyu rolls her eyes. She's so much sometimes. "Ah, that's so fucking funny. Tzuyu-ah, you should've been a comedian!"

"... It's not that funny."

"Where's Jihyo?" she asks, wiping her tears with her hand. "I have to tell her this."

As if on cue, Jihyo opens the door to the dressing room to find Nayeon almost doubling over herself in laughter. She looks to Tzuyu for an answer with a frown on her face, but Tzuyu just shakes her head in exasperation.

"Jihyo!" she exclaims when she sees her. She doesn't miss the way Nayeon throws herself at her boss, mind you — and Jihyo places a hand to her hip like it's the most natural thing in the world. "You won't believe what she just said."

"The entire set can hear you cackling," Jihyo says, trying to sound wry and failing miserably. She looks too amused.

"It's like there's a witch on the loose," Tzuyu murmurs under her breath, although not low enough it seems because it earns her a laugh from Jihyo. Nayeon doesn't laugh, but she does giggle.

"Tzuyu here just said she thought me and Jeongyeon were dating."

Jihyo's eyes widen for a moment. But then she's laughing too, throwing her head back. Nayeon joins in shortly after she breaks into giggles. Great. Tzuyu shifts her weight into her other leg, feeling terribly out of place and embarrassed.

"Is it really that funny?" She murmurs.

"I'm sorry," Jihyo shakes her head, laughter just dying down now. "It's just..."

"I would never. _Ever_ ," Nayeon huffs. "I'm too expensive for her, plus she's like my sister. And I'm taken."

Tzuyu's eyebrows raise involuntarily at the new information.

"Oh. I didn't know."

"Now you do," Nayeon smiles, the kind of smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "And no one else will, will they?"

Tzuyu hears her loud and clear. She says something, she's done for. Plus she'd never divulged something like that. She nods, a little intimidated.

"I don't plan on telling anyone," she clarifies.

"Good," Nayeon nods, her shoulders looking a little less tense now. Jihyo's hand on her hip seems like it grips a bit harder, but Tzuyu pretends she doesn't notice. Nayeon turns to face her. "Tzuyu told me Jeongyeon drove her back home... when was this?"

"Ah," she feels herself blush for absolutely no reason. "Last Wednesday."

"Took her to the shelter at her sister's and all," Nayeon adds.

Jihyo's eyebrows shoot up to the roof. "Really?"

She nods, looking a bit angry. "And she didn't even tell us!"

"... Why is it such a big deal?"

It was just a ride home, honestly. Maybe it's shocking because they seriously look like they can't stand each other, but even then why does it come as such a big frustration that Jeongyeon hadn't said anything?

Nayeon shakes her head, dismissing her. "No reason, sweetie," her usual patronizing language has Tzuyu pursing her lips in annoyance. Nayeon turns to stare at Jihyo once again, looking like she wants to change the subject. "Why are you here?"

"Ah, I almost forgot. Tzuyu, I came looking for you, we need you on set," the producer signals the younger girl after a few seconds, ushering her out of the room.

She leaves the room, Nayeon and Jihyo following closely behind her, stealing whispers between each other. Tzuyu can't actually hear what they are saying even though she's dying to know what they are talking about, but she presses her lips together until they form a thin line and reminds herself it's none of her business anyway.

Jeongyeon is already on set when they get there, as are Momo and Sana, who are both dressed as their respective characters — Hana, an exchange student from Japan and Hyunjin, a baker (Sana's Japanese accent is pretty much nonexistent at this point, despite being the same amount of time in Korea as both Momo and Tzuyu). Momo waves at her to approach them, Sana smiling sweetly at her as she does. Jihyo and Nayeon run straight to Jeongyeon when they see her, and Tzuyu stares for a moment before going to her Japanese friends.

"Tzuyu-ah," Sana greets, and shortly after takes a strand of her hair and plays with it on her fingers. "Your hair looks pretty today~"

"You're shameless, Sana," Momo yanks her hand away, making Tzuyu chuckle despite feeling her cheeks grow pink. "But it does look pretty."

"Thank you," she nods. "I think it looks the same as always."

"It always looks pretty," Sana winks, making Momo groan and roll her eyes.

"Sana is more flirty than ever today," she explains, and Sana mockingly pouts at her best friend as she tries to push her away. "Unfortunately for everyone."

"Are you jealous, Momo?" Sana nudges her friend, who attempts to contain her blush and fails miserably.

"Extremely," Momo answers, wryly.

Sana hmphs, now pushing Momo away herself. "You're no fun Momo, did I ever tell you that? Even Jeongyeon lets me flirt with her sometimes, but you're always so boring."

The use of Jeongyeon and flirt in the same sentence makes Tzuyu suddenly feel overly conscious of herself for some reason, and she can't help but tense. She doesn't want to think about or picture both of them flirting, and can't really find the power in herself to investigate why — probably because thinking about Jeongyeon ever flirting with someone makes her want to flinch.

"Tzuyu-ah," Momo calls her back to reality. She hadn't even realized she'd drifted off that much, but Sana and Momo are now on a completely different topic of conversation.

"Eh?"

"What are you wearing for the premiere?" she repeats her question.

"I don't really know...," she shakes her head. Even though they'll still be filming by the time it premieres (which is a week from now), she knows the network will air the earlier episodes to see how well they do. "The company's stylist will take care of that."

"You and Jeongyeon should match," Momo says, lightly. Sana gasps next to her making her frown. "What's wrong with you —"

"That would be so cute!" She squeals, jumping on Tzuyu to hold her by her shoulders. "You and Jeongyeon should totally wear matching outfits! You'd look like an actual couple."

Tzuyu's eyes widen, "But we're _not_ a couple..."

"Duh," Momo rolls her eyes, bumps Sana's shoulder in the process, like telling her she should stop talking before she says too much.

Sana pouts. "I'm just saying so it'll sell Jooyoung and Jinsoul's relationship more."

"Ah," Tzuyu feels her cheeks start to burn up once again. "Well, maybe it's not a bad idea..."

"I'll talk to Jihyo," Sana announces looking determined, and Tzuyu has no time to stop her when she makes up her mind, "to tell her about this genius idea."

"I don't know —"

Momo nods. "I'll go with you just in case and because it was my idea anyway."

"I —"

"Okay, everyone!" Jihyo calls all of a sudden, forcing the entire crew to grow silent as she asks everyone to get in position.

Tzuyu walks over to where Jeongyeon is, Momo and Sana next to her. She can't bring herself to look at her for some reason, not until filming starts and she can feel the blush in her cheeks finally disappear.

Jooyoung and Jinsol's scenes feel different. There's a different atmosphere to them, a different understanding between both characters that leave Tzuyu _feeling_ different when they end. Or maybe it's just the nerves, given that the drama is about to be premiered, but she feels static, a little restless. Their scenes are more tender, more intimate too. Their bond is growing, as Jihyo had said, and the scenes where they glare at each other from afar turn into smiles and inside jokes and longing glances. The bickering turns into teasing and long nights of preparations for culinary exams.

They are filming what is probably one of Tzuyu's favorite scenes — one where Jinsol and Jooyoung are in the kitchen together, and Jooyoung is helping her properly learn how to make Japanese souffle pancakes, and it's both of them in the kitchen next to Hana, who is reading the instructions aloud for them. Hana knows it like the back of her hand, having made them a million times, but it's Jinsol's first.

"Just separate the yolks from the whites on the bowl," Hana instructs, and Jooyoung watches as Jinsol obliges. "Then pour the milk and vanilla together gently."

"On it!" She nods. She mixes until Jooyong hums in approval.

"Now do the flour and baking powder," Hana continues when they are both satisfied.

"The flour is on your left," Jooyoung lets her know.

Jinsol smiles brightly. "I know."

Except when she turns, she accidentally knocks over the entire sack with the whisk she had just been using, and flour flies around the entire kitchen.

Both Hana and Jinsol are frozen in fear, scared of what their instructor might have to say about this mess. Jooyoung grows red with rage for a slit second — but then she catches Jinsol's gaze and bursts out laughing. Jinsol and Hana shared a confused look, and quickly Hana shakes her head and sneaks outside the kitchen before their crazed chef kills her.

Jinsol bites her lip. "Are you going to kill me, Chef?"

"Yes," Jooyoung laughs. "But after this."

Jooyoung picks up the glass of water they set aside for the recipe and dumps it on top of Jinsol's head, which makes her (and Tzuyu, very much Tzuyu) gasp at the sudden coldness. Then she grabs as much flour she can from the floor and dunks it on Jinsol's head, forcing it to stick with the water.

Jinsol is squealing and whining while Jooyoung is on the verge of tears from laughter — and then Jinsol decides it's time for revenge as she grabs the mixture of eggs and milk and dunks it over her boss's head as payback.

"We are even!" she hmphs.

"We are _not_ ," Jooyoung whines, although it's not aggressive or forceful. "Eggs and milk are way worse than simple water!"

"It's the same effect, Unnie."

Jinsol freezes after she says that. It's the first time they've ever spoken to each other so informally, and it's clear that there's a rush Jooyoung feels when she does, which makes not only Jinsol but Tzuyu too feel something when she sees her entire demeanor change. She's having fun.

The rest of the scene is them playing around in flour, laughing and trying to get the other dirtier than the other. Even when the scene ends, Tzuyu and Jeongyeon are laughing and she doesn't feel the usual awkward energy that she feels when they are done filming a scene — she feels lighter, laughs quicker even when Nayeon teases her about how she looks. The staff even snaps a picture of them covered in flour from head to toe, and they are both smiling ear to ear, Jeongyeon even goes as far as wrapping her arm around her. There's no avoiding each other's gazes either.

"That was my favorite scene to film," Tzuyu comments, feeling herself grow giddy, and her stomach fills with something akin to butterflies.

Jeongyeon smiles at her, doesn't run away. "Mine too."

It's also around the time where Nayeon's character, Sihyeon, starts becoming a villain. Jealous of Jinsol's success in the kitchen as someone from a poor low income and foreign mother, she thinks she is unworthy of being in a high rank at her late father's restaurant, and she had prefaced she would've failed by now already and gotten herself kicked out of class. But Jinsol always came out on top in every lesson, always came back stronger at every stone Sihyeon seemed to throw at her.

Nayeon does a really good job at being... well, a bitch. There's a scene where she actively sabotages one of Jinsol's dishes — places a hair in a bowl of soup for the most important critic in all of South Korea and almost completely tanks the restaurant's reputation for mere revenge and disdain — and Tzuyu's hands shake as she acts.

Jooyoung saves her, of course, promising things that are hard to keep but she'll work to do so anyway. Wiggles her way out of a horrible situation that would've had Jinsol shunned from the cooking industry and manages to keep her position as a student as well, and Sihyeon watches as her plans crumble before her, but her plan for revenge is long from being forgotten yet. It's this moment where they are both at Jinsol's dorm, when Hana and Hyunjin are both gone for the night, when she tells her that everything's okay.

"You did all that for me?" Jinsol asks from the couch, looking up at her superior.

"Well, yes," Jooyoung asks, scratching the back of her neck slightly. It's one of the first times the audience sees her like this; a bit blabbering, muttering, losing her cool attitude and becoming flustered.

"You risked your job, idiot! You could've gotten punished or even fired!" Jinsol's face contorts in a mix of regret and sadness; and fear, most importantly fear. "Why would you do that to yourself after how hard you've worked?!"

"I did it because you're..."

Jinsol holds her breath (Tzuyu does too).

"... you're Jinsol," she says, like that explains everything. She shuts her mouth before she can embarrass herself any further, and stares pointedly at the floor.

It takes a few moments for Jinsol to actually do something with that information, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind or maybe none at all. She's still sitting on the couch while Jooyoung is just standing in front of her, quietly staring at everything but her subordinate, not being able to properly explain herself.

Jooyoung shakes her head. "I —"

But then Jinsol is jumping off the couch and hugging her like there's no tomorrow, tears spilling from her eyes as she holds on tight.

"Thank you, Unnie," she whispers to her hair. "You're my friend too."

Jooyoung stands there, not reciprocating the hug because of shock for a few seconds — Jinsol doesn't mind though, she only clings harder — but then she lets herself relax into the embrace, placing her arms around Jinsol's waist and hugging just as fiercely.

She doesn't really know what to say (Jooyoung is not good at any of this), so she tightens the hug as she says, "I will protect you."

Jinsol chuckles into the embrace, "Please don't do any more reckless things for me, or I'll have a heart attack."

"Don't get in trouble then," Jooyoung scolds lightly, making both of them giggle even through tears.

The director calls cut then, and the scene ends while they are still hugging. Tzuyu swallows the still prevailing lump in her throat as she and Jeongyeon pull apart from the embrace, and she immediately misses it. Maybe Tzuyu is not the most professional of actresses — sometimes she gets a bit lost in the fantasy, so it's hard to switch back to just Tzuyu after feeling so much as Jinsol.

There's a moment where Jeongyeon looks like she wants to ask something, and she even turns to look at her and they share a look, but Sana and Momo step into set and interrupt them to talk about their matching outfits for premiere day.

Jeongyeon is frowning. "Matching outfits?"

"Tzuyu didn't tell you?" Sana raises her eyebrows slightly.

"I forgot..." she trails off. Truth is, she hadn't been able to actually talk to Jeongyeon since that day Nayeon and Jihyo questioned her.

"Tzuyu-ah," Sana scolds lightly.

"Sana and I think you guys should wear couple outfits to the premiere carpet to promote the show," Momo explains before Sana can start trailing off. "Like you're Jinsol and Jooyoung."

"What did Jihyo say?" Jeongyeon looks slightly confused still.

"We didn't ask her," Sana scratches her head, pouts slightly. "She's been kinda busy with the small adaptations to the script the label asked her to do."

Momo nods. "But she's in her office right now, you could talk to her about it if you want."

"I don't know if we should bother her...?" Tzuyu wonders aloud. Jeongyeon is nodding with her as she does.

"We'd talk to her ourselves but we have a couple of scenes to film," Sana bites her lip. "Please? It'd be super cute."

Jeongyeon sighs. "I mean I guess we can ask?"

"Yay!"

So Jeongyeon and Tzuyu end up walking together to Jihyo's office on the top of the set building, where most of the offices are. They take the elevator together, which brings back memories for Tzuyu from two months ago, memories that have her biting her lip to keep herself from laughing in front of her co-star. Although she's pretty sure Jeongyeon realizes that she's reminiscing the encounter in her head again because she shifts awkwardly from one leg to the other.

Jeongyeon swallows. "Are you okay?"

Tzuyu is beginning to think it's the only thing she knows how to say to her.

"Why?" she asks instead of saying yes. She wants to know this time.

"They announced that you're working on this project this Monday," Jeongyeon nods, looking straight ahead as the elevator doors open and they step down. "I don't know if you've read any comments or articles."

Truth be told, Tzuyu had been avoiding going out in public and using her phone since then. Mina, Chaeyoung, and Dahyun had all been very attentive with her and tried to distract her as best as they could, avoiding their phones most of the time as well and sitting with her to watch some of her favorite dramas on TV to keep her mind off of things. This situation not only affects her, but it also affects pretty much everyone she associated herself with — the company, her family, her members. She swallows hard, trying not to think about it now. She'll just start panicking, and she doesn't need that right now.

"I — I didn't," she confesses. They stop in front of Jihyo's office, and before she can turn the door handle she stops to stare at Jeongyeon. "D — did you...?"

"I tried not to," Jeongyeon nods, staring down to the floor. Not for the usual reason (that being she can't stand Tzuyu), but she looks a little ashamed. "But I couldn't stay away."

Tzuyu nods. Wants to reach out to comfort her, for some reason she can't explain, so she does. She places a hand on her shoulder; Jeongyeon tenses at first, but after a few beats of silence she relaxes into her touch. Tzuyu lets it rest there before asking, "Do I want to know?"

"Not all of it was bad," Jeongyeon shakes her head. "There was some good stuff. Young people support the show a lot. The show was trending worldwide on Twitter and our names were too."

Tzuyu feels her own eyes widen. "Really?"

Jeongyeon chuckles slightly. "Foreigners are very excited."

"That's good, that's good," Tzuyu nods, feeling her heart beat faster and faster inside her ribcage. "I hope we can reach their expectations."

"We were trending on Naver as well," she continues, "there were a lot of not nice comments from male fans of yours but... but people were supportive. Some of them. Well, I thought it was most of them, at least."

Tzuyu's throat threatens to close up, and she bites her lip. Jeongyeon notices that, and she looks like she really, really wants to reach out to her, but she doesn't for some reason she can't bring herself to comprehend.

"I'm nervous," Tzuyu tells her, because she doesn't really have anyone else to tell. And she doesn't think anyone except for Jeongyeon can truly understand how she feels now.

Jeongyeon gives her a pained smile. "I know."

"I think I'm so nervous my heart might give up on me," Tzuyu speaks like she can't stop talking, "I'm so nervous I could vomit every single meal I've ever had. I'm — I'm so..."

"... scared," Jeongyeon finishes for her. She has her hands in her pockets now, looks like she doesn't fully know what to say next but she understands and that's enough for now. It's all she needs right now.

Tzuyu nods. It's small, she feels like she is. "I'm terrified."

The older girl clears her throat, nods at her like she's struggling as well. "I am too."

It's the most genuine reaction she's ever seen in Jeongyeon, maybe besides that day they filmed the flour scene and she was all smiles and soft touches — she always looks a little bit uncomfortable, but this subject seems to be weighing her down. She looks vulnerable, not like her usual fun and cool personality. Tzuyu hasn't seen her like this outside of a scene, ever.

"How do I stop?" Tzuyu asks, feeling her eyes well up with tears all of a sudden. "I don't want to be scared... I like this job..."

"I don't think it stops being scary," Jeongyeon swallows, shaking her head slightly. "You just get braver."

Tzuyu doesn't know if she'll ever be braver; If she'll ever be able to stand the looks, the glares and the videos and pictures of enraged fans burning photocards of her because she took this role and betrayed them somehow. But she lets herself be comforted by Jeongyeon, who places a hand on her shoulder, willingly. She doesn't bask in the strangeness of it all, she just lets herself be touched until her eyes dry, but she doesn't let a single tear roll off her cheeks.

There's a second of silence. She doesn't stare at Jeongyeon, but she knows the other is looking at her.

"You're strong, Tzuyu," Jeongyeon says out of nowhere, making Tzuyu's eyes grow wider — they quickly shoot up to look at her through her lashes in surprise without even thinking about it, and Jeongyeon suddenly grows red because of Tzuyu's stare, but she doesn't look away this time. "I mean it."

She doesn't give any further explanation for the statement, but Tzuyu doesn't ask anyway. Her eyes are glued to hers, and she also finds herself turning red in embarrassment at the compliment. That is definitely a first for both of them; Tzuyu can't help but feel something flutter in the pit of her stomach that she can't properly explain. Still, the compliment brings Tzuyu a bit of comfort, as does the hand resting on her shoulders, and soon enough she feels like she has control over her body again.

"Okay," says to no one in particular (maybe just to herself), then she takes a sharp intake of breath and nods, still staring into Jeongyeon's black orbs. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes," Tzuyu confirms, although she doesn't know what she's confirming anyway. She feels better though, a sense of warmth spreading through her body when Jeongyeon gives her half a smile.

"Okay," Jeongyeon looks more relaxed as well now that she's calmed down. There's a beat of silence where none of them actually say anything but she's the one clearing her throat and saying, "We should talk to Jihyo now."

Tzuyu had almost forgotten, which makes her flush slightly. "Ah, yes."

Jeongyeon doesn't seem to think twice before she's pushing the door to Jihyo's office open. Tzuyu and her step in and find Jihyo and Nayeon, strangely, and Nayoen's sitting on Jihyo's lap they are kissing and Jihyo has a hand under Nayeon's shirt and —

"Oh my God!" Tzuyu squeals before running out the door, slamming it shut and covering her mouth with her hand.

She can hear muffling inside as Jihyo and Nayeon probably start gathering themselves back together and fixing their disheveled hair, while _Are you insane?! Making out in the middle of filming?!_ and _Jeongyeon, I'm going to fucking kill you why didn't you knock?!_ hushed whispers can be heard from where she's standing, body pressed against the wall in shock.

Tzuyu's not going to pretend she didn't notice the possessive gestures, the hands in each other's hips and the lingering touches and stares Nayeon and Jihyo shared almost at all times they were together (which was basically every time she talked to each of them), so Tzuyu wasn't clueless as to what was going on, but she hadn't realized to what extent the relationship really went. She thought maybe Jihyo had unrequired feelings, or that they both liked each other but weren't actually dating —

"Tzuyu," It's Jeongyeon who opens the door then, looking every bit of embarrassed as she feels, mouth still covered by her hand. She nods for her to come in.

Tzuyu drops the hand to her side, and sighs deeply as she closes her eyes and walks inside the office.

Jihyo is sitting on her chair now, biting her lip, while Nayeon is standing next to the desk, hair still pretty messy, but there's an undeniable flush to her cheeks even while she glares at the younger girl. Jeongyeon doesn't really say anything but she stays close to her, just two steps away.

"So..." Jihyo begins after a pregnant pause where no one actually speaks, she trails off and opens her mouth to continue, but Nayeon interrupts her before she can say anything.

"If you say anything, I will personally murder you," Nayeon's nostrils flare open, and her chest rises and falls erratically, they can all practically hear her inhale and exhale. She's clearly upset.

Jihyo swallows, hard. "Nayeon."

"I will make your life a living hell," she continues, paying no mind to her... girlfriend? lover? boss? "I will ruin your life is you so much as think about ruining Jihyo's. I'll destroy you, you little fucking stupid —"

"That's enough," Jeongyeon is the one speaking now, stepping next to Tzuyu to defend her. Tzuyu's touched by the gesture — it's surprising, to say the least — but she shakes her head.

"No, it's okay," she clarifies, quickly looking at Nayeon with what she hopes is a determined gaze. "I won't say anything, Nayeon. Your secret is safe with me, I promise."

Nayeon's breath settles a little, but she's still agitated. "How can I trust you?"

"Why would I fight for this role if I thought this was wrong?" Tzuyu tries to reassure her. "It's none of my business if you guys are dating, I would never ever say anything to anyone, I swear it."

"Nayeon," Jihyo speaks this time, walking to where her girlfriend is and placing a hand in hers to try and calm her rapid heart down. Nayeon swallows, it's clear Jihyo's mere presence brings her a little back to Earth. She holds on to it like a lifeline. "I trust her."

Nayeon backs away then, not looking entirely pleased with the situation, but looking significantly less mad.

"I think you guys have something to explain, then," Jeongyeon is nodding at her friends, still standing next to Tzuyu.

"We don't have to explain anything —"

Jihyo nods, cutting off Nayeon, "I think you're right."

Tzuyu shakes her head, "You don't have to explain if you don't want to."

She doesn't want them to think they owes her something, that they needs to explain themselves to her because they really don't have to. If Tzuyu was ever in their situation, she doesn't think she would ever be in a position where she feels comfortable enough to ever tell anyone that she's with another woman. An incredibly famous one at that. Plus... Jihyo has always been so terribly nice, always gone out of her way to help. There's not a thing in the world she could ever do to make Tzuyu hate her.

"I want to, okay?" Jihyo nods reassuringly at her, her usual softness and somewhat maternal look in her eyes. "I want to."

So Jihyo explains.

Nayeon and Jihyo met in High School, as did Jeongyeon. The three of them became inseparable right away — they shared their passion for movies and acting, and they balanced each other pretty evenly.

"But I always... I always thought about Nayeon a little too much, you know?" Jihyo smiles slightly at the memory, and Nayeon even does too. "Before I went to bed; while I was eating; before I went to school. I was always thinking about her, found her in places where she wasn't really there."

"She'd be drinking water and then she'd start talking about how Nayeon loves water," Jeongyeon rolls her eyes beside her, making Tzuyu giggle. "It was unbearable."

"Yeah, well," Jihyo shrugs, growing flustered. "What can I say?"

"I'm just that charming," Nayeon can't help but comment, making Jihyo laugh as she wraps an arm around her from the back.

"Anyway..." Jihyo continues, "But Nayeon didn't like me that way. She was always chasing after cute guys, so I thought I'd never had a chance. I was pretty heartbroken, so when High School ended I kind of stopped talking to her and Jeongyeon and I disappeared for a while."

Nayeon looks down to the ground, but places her hand on the arm Jihyo has linked around her and squeezes. She looks like she regrets the time they lost, but Jihyo smiles down at her reassuringly.

"Truth is I was in college, studying film, and then I became a producer and they hired me to work in Rising Sun as a writer after many failed little dramas," she nods. "A whopping five years ago."

Nayeon cringes. "That long ago?"

"Yes, we're old now," Jihyo giggles, "So I walked in on set, and there she was after not talking to her for almost four years, and I had no way of explaining why I suddenly stopped talking to her without accidentally confessing, so I just shut my mouth and avoided being alone with her everywhere I went."

"But I was persistent," Nayeon puffs out her chest, looking proud. Jeongyeon snorts.

"Persistent is an understatement," she has a smirk on her face. "You pretty much became her stalker."

Nayeon purses her lips. "Yeah well, I wanted answers. And I got them out of her in the end, so it turned out great after all."

"So you confessed?" Tzuyu asks Jihyo, completely immersed in the story.

"Not exactly," she scrunches up her face at the memory. "I told her I didn't talk to her because she dated a guy I liked in High School and I was still hurt by it."

"Which was a gigantic lie, obviously," Nayeon adds. "But I still bought it, and I tried to coax out the name out of her for like, weeks."

"Which meant she pretty much spent all day with me, and to quote Jeongyeon, she was practically stalking me."

"It doesn't count as stalking if you like it," she protests, shaking her head.

"I guess it doesn't," Jihyo says, lightly and smiling sweetly at her girlfriend (who now looks comfortable still wrapped in her embrace). "Still, since she spent so much time around me I couldn't get over her."

If she were sitting, Tzuyu would be on the edge of her seat. "So what did you do?"

Jihyo cringes. "I quit."

"What?"

"Yeah, it was stupid," she shakes her head as Nayeon mumbles an I still can't believe you did that, "Don't quit because you have feelings for your co-worker. It doesn't really work. You can't forget a person until you've actually confronted them."

"When I heard she had quit, I was so shocked I couldn't believe it," Nayeon confesses, she's smiling but even now, she looks a little pained by the memory. "I found her after all that time, but she left again."

Jihyo swallows, hurt evident in her voice when she speaks next, "I hurt you."

"Yes," Nayeon nods. "As much as I hurt you too."

Tzuyu somehow feels like she's witnessing a private moment, she can't fight the urge to look away when Nayeon and Jihyo look at each other like that — with so much fondness and love in each other's eyes, love that's for no one else but for them — but when she turns to her side to give them some privacy, she meets Jeongyeon's own for a couple of seconds. She's looking at her in a way Tzuyu can't really put her finger on.

Then Jeongyeon smiles like she understands how Tzuyu feels witnessing their little lovers gaze, and they share a snort until Nayeon is clearing her throat to bring them back into the conversation.

"Anyway, we didn't speak for like a week," she continues. "But I couldn't take it."

"She showed up to my house and demanded that I explain to her why she couldn't forgive her for dating someone she didn't even remember now," Jihyo adds. "And I saw so tired, I had just given up on the job of my dreams so I just told her."

"What did you tell her?" Tzuyu doesn't know why, but she's holding her breath.

"That I was in love with her," Jihyo is smiling to hide the flush in her cheeks. "That I couldn't stand being near her when I knew that she would never reciprocate my feelings. I was scared out of my mind," she bites her lip. "But I couldn't keep the secret anymore, you know?"

"I was so shocked," Nayeon laughs slightly at the memory, "I didn't even know what to say. I had no idea she felt that way about me. But then I realized I didn't want to spend any more time away from her, that I wanted to kiss her."

"So?"

"So I did," Nayeon is grinning now at the memory.

"I didn't even kiss back, I was so taken by surprise I didn't know how to reciprocate," Jihyo laughs, holding on tighter to her girlfriend. "But when she pulled away I pulled her back in, and we've been together ever since."

"For five whole years?" Tzuyu widens her eyes. "That's a long time."

"And I plan on spending even more with her," Jihyo is nodding, and Nayeon is even blushing. That's a first. "One day, once Nayeon is done acting in dramas and feels ready, we'll move to America and marry there."

"Maybe Korea will legalize homosexual marriage by then," Jeongyeon offers.

"Yeah," Nayeon snorts a bit cruelly, but she doesn't attribute it to her being mad at Jeongyeon, she thinks she's just mad at everything. "There's no way."

The comment makes her feel a little sad and uncomfortable. Tzuyu can't imagine the years she must've spent terribly afraid, lonely and saddened that she can't share even a kiss between her and the girl she loves simply because she's also a woman. Jeongyeon leans her weight into her other leg in discomfort.

"Well, you never know."

"Who else knows?" Tzuyu asks.

"Just Jeongyeon," Jihyo answers, pulling away from Nayeon. "Though I think Sana and Momo do too, just because they spend so much time with us. And now you." Tzuyu is nodding. She thinks Sana and Momo always know more than they let on anyways. "Look, I know you've already said you wouldn't say anything, but it's really important that you don't —"

"I won't say anything, ever," Tzuyu understands. Well, as much as she can without being in their shoes — but she knows, as an extremely popular Idol that if certain parts of her life were to be made public like that, she'd probably lose everything. "I know this could really hurt both of you. My lips are sealed."

Jihyo smiles at her. "Thank you, Tzuyu. I think you're full of surprises."

"What was so urgent that you guys had to barge in anyway?" Nayeon is asking before Tzuyu can reply.

"Ah, yes," Jeongyeon nods, almost like she forgot. "Well, this definitely didn't go the way I thought it would. Momo and Sana thought it'd be cute if me and Tzuyu wore, uh, matching outfits to the premiere."

Nayeon suddenly turns bright red.

_"AND THAT'S WHY YOU THOUGHT IT'D BE A GOOD IDEA TO BREAK IN ANNOUNCED?!"_

_"MAYBE IF YOU HAD LOCKED THE DOOR —"_

"You look so good, Tzuyu," Mina compliments as she fixes up her black dress inside the car. Mina's wearing something simple, as are Dahyun and Chaeyoung, insisting that the attention is fully on Tzuyu and her short red dress that reaches a bit lower than her thighs. Mina's hand flies to Tzuyu's face to place a strand of her hair behind her ear in a motherly gesture. "Are you nervous?"

When is she not nervous would be a much more suitable question these days. She's almost always on the edge of her seat, waiting for something to happen. She nods at her fellow member, her stomach twisting into an anxious knot.

"Don't be," Dahyun places a hand on her lap, searching for hers. She's quick to grab back. "It's going to go so well, you'll see."

"People are going to love it, Tzu," Chaeyoung reassures her. "It'll be amazing."

"Okay," she says, even though she feels far from being okay. She's like one block and a half away from having an anxiety attack.

"Jeongyeon is waiting for you there, right?" Chaeng asks then, looking out the window as they approach the venue.

"Yes," Tzuyu nods, thinking about the phone in her other hand, the one she'd been using to text Jeongyeon to let her know she was getting there soon. They were walking the red carpet together after all.

It's then when the car comes to a stop, which means they are finally there. Their manager ushers them out of the car like they are some sort of unruly cat gang, urging them so they can actually walk the carpet in time. The sun is shining brightly outside, but for some reason she feels a chill travel down her spine. Tzuyu feels like she's about to hyperventilate as she steps out of the car and her eyes dart around the place, until they are met with Jeongyeon's own.

Jeongyeon looks... breathtaking, there really isn't another way to describe her. She's wearing a red suit with shoulder pads and tailored pants along with a black top and heels — which match Tzuyu's own dress, with a red choker and heels of her own. She thinks both garments are made out of the same material but she can't really focus on that because the mere sight of Jeongyeon makes her blush for some stupid reason and she feels like she has to look away.

Chaeyoung seems to notice this because she snickers as she whispers into her ear, "She looks hot."

Tzuyu purses her lips in annoyance (while turning bright scarlet) and smacks her across her arm, which makes Chaeyoung both laugh and flinch in pain at the same time. Mina starts lecturing them both about behaving, but Tzuyu isn't really listening because Jeongyeon is walking towards her.

She's... blushing. Jeongyeon is blushing.

"Unnie," she says when she's in front of her. "You look gorgeous."

She doesn't even know why she says it, she just can't help herself, just as much as she can't help but look down at the floor when she realizes what she's just gone and said to her face. When Dahyun and Chaeyoung giggle slightly behind her it's Mina who drags them both away to scold them and leave Jeongyeon and Tzuyu alone.

"Ah," Jeongyeon says, chuckling nervously, though she can't really see what she does because she refuses to look up at her. "Tzuyu-ah, I think I should be the one telling you that."

Tzuyu feels her cheeks grow impossibly hotter. "Thank you..."

There's a moment of silence where Tzuyu tries to bring herself to be professional, so she shakes her head slightly and focuses on anything that's behind Jeongyeon's own face to distract herself. Why is she acting like this anyway? She's behaving like a schoolgirl.

"Everyone else has already walked the red carpet," Jeongyeon says, probably because she wants to fill the silence too since Tzuyu already knows all of this because she herself texted her about it five minutes ago, "so we're going to be the closing uh, couple."

Tzuyu nods, trying to swallow back her nerves, "Okay."

She locks her eyes with Jeongyeon's once again — because somehow her eyes have their own mind and move without her wanting them to — and there's that same look in them, the one she can never really understand, but she doesn't want to look away either.

"Tzuyu —" she begins, but soon enough there's a man calling them both to tell them it's their turn to walk down the red carpet, and she can't really ask them to wait for her, can she? "Good luck." She says, though Jeongyeon looks like she wanted to say something else.

They walk down the red carpet somewhat comfortably, Tzuyu has her usual charming smile and waves to the cameras as Jeongyeon, who is a little less experienced but still doesn't falter, stands beside her. They aren't touching each other, but they are in each other's space — maintaining a respectable amount of space between them, one that doesn't have people asking uncomofrtable questions.

Still, a lot of reporters scream at them so that Jeongyeon wraps her arms around her for a picture. Tzuyu doesn't really know what to do, so she panics and looks her manager's way for answers, who seems equally as puzzled on what to do. So she turns to Jeongyeon, who has been apparently staring at her this entire time to ask with her eyes if it's okay, but she has the same question written in hers. Is it okay if I come closer?

Tzuyu nods slightly, and soon enough Jeongyeon is wrapping her arms around her and they are both posing. The hand on her shoulders is impossible to forget, so she's pretty sure she fails at looking relaxed. Jeongyeon doesn't seem all that comfortable either but they are actresses. They put on a performance.

And it's not like she's uncomfortable because of Jeongyeon and because she hates her (she doesn't think she does, not anymore; she might even be able to consider her a friend), but more because she feels like if she takes one wrong step she'll ruin everything. If anyone ever so much as thinks she and Jeongyeon might be more than co-workers, her entire career would be over. It's nervewracking.

Still, as soon as the embrace starts, it's over. Jeongyeon steps away from her like she's burnt her. They take a couple more pictures, and then they are both being escorted to where the interview is taking place right after Momo and Sana finish giving theirs.

They catch them just as they leave, in time for Sana to wink at her and for Momo to give her a thumbs-up, both of them murmuring good look under their breath. Both her and Jeongyeon are going to be interviewed together, and it's not a long one either — probably five minutes or so of just answering questions.

The girl is pretty and polite, and starts off the interview by saying, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel very honored to be here," Tzuyu bows. She doesn't say I'm so nervous I might pass out, but she feels like it. "I'm always a little anxious, but I feel really good today."

Jeongyeon nods beside her. "I think we're all very excited for the project to finally air. We've been working really hard, so please look forward to it and tell us your genuine thoughts."

"Please enjoy it a lot."

"So this is certainly a very different drama, is it not?" The interviewer asks.

"I think it's very unique," Jeongyeon answers for her, saves her from embarrassing herself. "The relationship the characters have is very captivating and genuine, and their friendship grows very nicely as does their romance. I really enjoy performing as Lee Jooyoung."

The interviewer turns to look at her, "What about you, Tzuyu? You must be really brave choosing a role like this as an Idol."

"Well, I really related to Jinsol's hard-working attitude," Tzuyu clears her throat. Her company prepared her for questions like this, extensively so, but it's still hard to figure out how to answer them. "I enjoyed the script very much as well. I really wanted to take part in it after reading it."

The interviewer seems satisfied enough with her answer and moves on. "And were you happy to work with someone as experienced as Jeongyeon?

"I didn't know who would play Jooyoung until the table-read," she explains, nodding slightly. "Jeongyeon is a very talented actress, so I was very surprised to see her there, but also very glad. She's very professional."

"What about you, Jeongyeon? You were really excited to work with someone like Tzuyu, weren't you, Jeongyeon?"

Jeongyeon tenses for some reason. "Ah, yes. Tzuyu is very talented in a stage," The compliment reaches Tzuyu's ears and makes her blush. She hopes the cameras don't catch the way her cheeks turn pink. "I had some doubts about how she'd perform on camera, but she adapted really well. She's an accomplished actress."

As the interview wraps up, Tzuyu mouths a small thank you at her co-star, her nervous heart beating a little less loud as each second passed. She really helped her today — she tries to reach out to her, but Jeongyeon steps away when she feels her come closer. Tzuyu pretends she doesn't notice because maybe it wasn't even intentional.

They are dismissed from the interview soon after that, bowing and saying their goodbyes to the kind interviewer. Tzuyu and Jeongyeon are led inside the venue, where there are about a hundred other people, her members included, who are huddled in a corner talking to their manager and waving at her. Tzuyu smiles, immediately feeling more relaxed, she tries to walk towards them but soon enough there's a hand grabbing her and stopping her from going further.

"Jihyo's coming," Jeongyeon announces.

Indeed, Jihyo is with them in mere seconds, hugging them both and giving them congratulation kisses on their first premiere together even though the episode hasn't even been showcased yet and it's still a good thirty minutes before it does.

"You guys look so cute in your matching outfits," she nods at the sight of both of them together, making Tzuyu blush. "I'm going to have to thank Sana for the idea, you guys look like a power couple."

"We aren't," Jeongyeon is saying, courtly, and Jihyo frowns a little. Tzuyu just stares, feeling a bit frozen.

"You're tense as hell, look at your shoulders," she points out, reaching out to them. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jeongyeon pulls away from her — Tzuyu's never seen her behave like this around Jihyo too. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Jihyo purses her lips, clearly wanting to talk about it, but lets Jeongyeon bask in her miserableness because she knows that doesn't help anyway. "You'll talk to investors. They want to meet the supposed next TV couple and want to know that their money is being well placed, so behave, please." She says the last sentence pointedly, obviously meant for Jeongyeon.

Jihyo leads them both to where a bunch of businessmen are chatting among themselves while dangling martinis in their hands. Jihyo introduces them to each of them, and they ask questions about their personal life, like _what made you become an actress?_ or _do you enjoy what you do?_ and Tzuyu is showered left and right with compliments about her appearance (which, don't get her wrong, are always very nice, but she's also tired of no one ever complimenting her singing or dancing or acting for that matter — plus, it's always strange to see grown old men talking about how gorgeous she is, it makes her feel like they are staring at her like she's a mannequin, some sort of doll).

As they move away and meet the investors of the show, Jeongyeon keeps distancing herself from her more and more. She's not hostile to them, but she is to her. She ignores her, looks bored when it's her turn to talk and remains a good feet and a half away from her, a separation that only grows as the night goes on.

She feels lost, confused but most of all she feels hurt. Tzuyu had thought this kind of behavior was behind them now, that they both respected each other — as actresses and people. But it seems Jeongyeon was just waiting for the best night of Tzuyu's life to ruin the entire relationship and bond she thought they had. She's back at being the Jeongyeon Tzuyu knows, and she hates that.

And the people around them notice too, how detached they are from each other, which only adds salt and embarrassment to the bleeding wound. It's not that Jeongyeon comes off as rude to other people, just cold maybe. Tzuyu feels stupid for thinking things would be different, for thinking that their relationship had somehow improved. The night had started so well when she complimented her and made her feel like things had changed, but it was all what? A lie? Did she want to humiliate her?

Jihyo and Nayeon notice as well, and they glare at her best friend when they can see her become colder, and even Momo and Sana do too, stealing worried glances at Tzuyu when she looks like she's about to walk away for good.

Still, the night goes on and soon a curtain falls and with a quick speech of thanks from Jihyo, the episode starts being projected into the curtain. Tzuyu sits through the first fifteen minutes and enjoys it very much. It's a bit embarrassing to watch herself act (especially because she's the leading role, the person who has the most screentime and the one the audience is going to see the most of in the entire drama), but she can't help but steal a glance at Jeongyeon's way sometimes. Watches her smile and laugh and concentrate and wonders what goes on inside her head when she watches Tzuyu on the screen.

The episode is over soon, and the cast is rewarded with applause and praise. Jihyo drags them through other chats with the investors and one with KBS's very own CEO which is pretty nervewracking in itself. But then people start clearing out of the room, and she's left with her members and fellow castmates.

Dahyun is the one who runs to her and clings like she's a bear. "Tzuyu-ah, you were amazing!"

Tzuyu hugs back because otherwise, Dahyun's just going to fall to the floor without support, so she just taps her back and returns the hug feeling a bit embarrassed but still elated at the praise. "Thank you, Dahyun."

As she puts the other girl down, Chaeyoung is hitting her across the shoulder. "You were seriously incredible, Tzuyu-ah. So cool."

"You did very well, Tzuyu," Mina smiles sweetly at her. "I was really impressed."

Then Mina is almost tackled to the ground by a blonde figure, which of course turns out to be Sana. They speak to each other in Japanese, they speak too fast for Tuzyu to be able to understand them so she doesn't try to. Her and Sana talk for a bit and then Momo joins them — it seems like Sana is introducing the two of them. Tzuyu, Chaeyoung and Dahyun speak for a little more, chatting about the premiere and whatever else they can think about until the clock strikes midnight.

"Manager Unnie told us that we should head back, but said that you can stay for a little longer and then ask for a car to come pick you up," Chaeyoung lets her know. "Dahyun and I have a photoshoot tomorrow and they want us to not be half dead when we get there."

Tzuyu nods, and soon enough she's saying goodbye to her bandmates, who wave goodbye to her and keep giving her thumbs up even as they disappear out of the room. She immediately feels lighter after the exchange.

"This was a success," Jihyo claps her hands together, looking like she's won the lottery. "The investors were in love with you two. Mostly Tzuyu, but that's understandable."

"That's good," Jeongyeon nods. Jihyo looks pretty mad at her though, but Tzuyu pretends she doesn't notice the glare she sends her way.

"The ratings will be in tomorrow," she continues, "but we were trending worldwide on Twitter for an hour. I think the show will continue."

Tzuyu smiles. "Those are amazing news, right?"

Jihyo's smile is so big she thinks her cheek must hurt. "Yes, they are."

Nayeon wraps an arm around Jihyo's frame, clinging to her. "I'm tired," she whines. "Let's go home."

"Yes," Jihyo nods at her. She looks breathless, like she wants to kiss her senseless, and it's one of those moments where Tzuyu feels like she should look away. "Let's."

Before both Nayeon and Jihyo leave, she congratulates all of them for their hard work and tells them to go get some rest, that they deserve it after such a successful night. So that leaves Jeongyeon and Tzuyu both alone — well, not completely alone. There are already people cleaning the place up, pretending they aren't even there.

Jeongyeon looks like she wants to say something, but she stops herself. It seems like that's something she does a little too often.

The silence between them grows thick like it hasn't in the past week, the kind of silence that Tzuyu feels like it suffocates her because it's so obvious that both of them want to say something but they just aren't brave enough to say it. Tzuyu bites her lip.

"I thought it changed."

Jeongyeon frowns slightly. "Huh?"

"I thought we were friends now," Tzuyu shakes her head.

Jeongyeon doesn't seem to understand what's going on yet because she asks, "What are you saying?"

"That you're being an asshole again," she states, growing defensive. She doesn't curse aloud often — never, really, much less to another person, but she's had enough. "You avoid me, push me away and you make me feel like I'm... like I'm not even here."

The older girl's eyes grow big. "Tzuyu —"

"You're an asshole," Tzuyu's face twists into a pained expression, she can't stop herself. "You take me to your shelter and treat me like a person and you tell me I'm strong and then you don't even — you don't even look at me. I don't even exist to you."

"Tzuyu," Jeongyeon shakes her head almost frantically so, and even tries to step near her to hold her or something, but it's Tzuyu's turn to step away. "It's not like that, I swear."

"You don't think I'm at your level," she shakes her head again. There's tears prickling at the corner of her eyes — she hadn't realized this affected her that much. Then again, it's been so long and she's so terribly tired of it. "I'm not good enough for you to even acknowledge me in front of the investors."

"Tzuyu, stop," Jeongyeon grabs her by the shoulders then, stopping her from going away. "Tzuyu, look at me." Even though she doesn't want to, Tzuyu can't help but obey. She stares at Jeongyeon's eyes, and she sees honesty in them when she speaks next, "That's not the case. At all."

"And why would I believe you?"

"I just —" Jeongyeon sighs in frustration, then shakes her head. "I don't want any rumors that could harm you, and the investors talk to the network all the time. That's why I've been avoiding you all night. I don't want people to start talking and saying that we're... you know, actually dating in real life. I mean, I'm an actress, but you're an Idol — people call you the Nation's girlfriend for God's sake, I don't want your career to suffer because of that. Because of _me_."

There's a moment of silence, one that feels like it drags on forever, where Tzuyu feels her own heartbeat calm down. What Jeongyeon said makes sense, so she had actually overreacted after all. Tzuyu's cheeks grow pink in embarrassment at her sudden outburst. She doesn't even know what came over her, but all that pent up frustration, plus the fact that she had enjoyed the time she'd spent with Jeongyeon as friends had made her go into a panic.

Then she realizes she had done all that to protect her even if it had somehow backfired on her. Jeongyeon wanted to look after her reputation, even if she came out as cold and distant and unlikeable. For her. The thought makes her heart beat faster once again, but not from anger.

She swallows, "... I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," then after a few seconds Jeongyeon chuckles, "We got it all wrong, didn't we?"

"Yeah, I think," Tzuyu smiles slightly.

There's a moment where Jeongyeon stays in silence, where Tzuyu thinks about calling her manager to tell her to bring her a car to go home, but Jeongyeon is speaking before she can actually go through with her plan.

"Hi," she says, making Tzuyu stare at her in confusion as she extends her hand to her, as if waiting for her to shake it. "I'm Yoo Jeongyeon, and I'll be your co-star."

"... What are you doing?"

"Introducing myself," Jeongyeon says, matter-of-factly. Then adds, for good measure, "Duh."

Tzuyu stares at her extended hand, but isn't sure what to do next. "Why?"

"I think we deserve a fresh start, don't you think?" Jeongyeon bites her lip, her extended hand still unmoving and in place. It's pretty ridiculous. "Please, Tzuyu. I... I really want to start over with you."

Tzuyu smiles the tiniest bit.

"I'm Chou Tzuyu," she accepts the handshake, which makes Jeongyeon beam and Goddamnit if she doesn't have the prettiest smile she's ever seen. "I'll be playing Jinsol."

"Tzuyu, it's a pleasure to meet you," Jeongyeon nods, amused and playful. "I hear a slight accent, are you not from Korea?"

"I heard from someone you didn't do small talk," Tzuyu grins when Jeongyeon cringes.

"That's not fair!"

"So is not holding the elevator door open for someone," Tzuyu bites her lip to keep herself from laughing when Jeongyeon's mouth falls open. There's no bite to her comment, but she does break into giggles when Jeongyeon whines. "But yes, I am from Taiwan. I grew up with my parents and a brother..."

Tzuyu feels her heart flutter at the sight of Jeongyeon laughing at her jokes, and she grows a little addicted to the glint of pride that flashes through Jeongyeon's eyes when she's the one to coax a laugh out of Tzuyu with one of her stupid cheesy jokes. They spend almost all night like that, talking, until the people who are cleaning urge them out of the venue like they are a couple of criminals and Tzuyu has to call her agency to get her a car and she gets yelled at by her manager because of how much time she spent alone, but she finds she doesn't really care.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Homophobia  
> (nothing graphic or violent in any sort. you can read the notes at the end to know what it's about)  
> thanks to the most amazing beta reader ever @[itotoro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itotoro/pseuds/itotoro) for giving me much-needed validation and helping me out so much!

If Tzuyu thought the relationship between Jinsol and Jooyoung was different before the premiere, the difference is more pronounced now, and feels even more so. There's now undeniable chemistry between the two of them. Romantically. Their scenes are romantic now.

And Tzuyu isn't weirded out by that! Jeongyeon isn't her 'enemy' anymore; neither is her character, so scenes get easier to film and she actually has a good time being around her now. In fact, ever since the premiere, they've become what could be actually considered friends, Tzuyu supposes. Jeongyeon isn't _bad_.

Okay, Jeongyeon isn't bad at all, actually. She walks her to her car, promises she'll take her to the shelter again, they discuss the script together — she once said she's really smart during one of their table reads, which kind of stunned her. Normally when people compliment her, they mostly focus on her looks, or that's what she's mostly used to hearing anyway. She thinks about it a lot, nowadays. When she feels down she remembers that Jeongyeon thinks she's smart and it helps her feel the tiniest bit better.

So Jeongyeon is sweet. Really sweet. But... she is a very, _very_ convincing Jooyoung. It turns into a problem.

It's not a bad thing. Jeongyeon gets in character and she plays her part flawlessly, and she's extremely professional in her work. She's the best Jooyoung Jihyo could've ever cast, honestly. The problem is with Tzuyu, who turns out to not be as professional as she thought she was. The lines get a little blurred.

Jooyoung is an amazing character. And she's... okay, she's attractive. Even though she's a fictional character, she's attractive physically and personality-wise. So it's hard from Tzuyu to separate the actress from the character when Jeongyeon is also... attractive. And that is an objective fact! Chaeyoung and Mina think she is too! (They also laugh when Tzuyu shyly mutters it to them.) Although Tzuyu tries not to dwell too much on the fact, it's a little hard when that objective fact is staring right at her from Monday to Friday every week and sometimes on weekends, too.

It doesn't help that her schedule is way more chaotic now. On top of shooting the remaining episodes, while the other ten that they filmed before the premiere are already being edited and aired every Friday, the network wants to start advertising and promoting — so some days she leaves the studio after filming just to be forced into a car to change and get her hair and makeup done while driving down a bumpy road to have dinner with investors or attend yet another party to promote the drama. It's exhausting. And it has only been two weeks since the premiere, so things are incredibly hectic right now — emotions are at an all-time high (and Tzuyu has never been good at emotions anyway, Dahyun will back that up), schedules are messy and things are changing and Tzuyu is bad at changes and her mind is just scattered. She feels like sometimes she's somewhere else, like she's thinking about the next party while being at another party, practicing her lines at five AM half asleep as she waits for her manager to pick her up. Sometimes she's filming a scene already thinking about the next one and usually Jeongyeon is the one who can bring her back to reality. So Tzuyu's mind is simply not entirely there some days.

They are supposed to be rehearsing one of their scenes one day, where Jinsol finally confesses (they aren't filming that episode today but Jihyo wanted to rehearse it, saying something along the lines of _we need to set up the romantic mood_ ), and Tzuyu is fully there, yeah? a little nervous, but there.

Jinsol and Jooyoung are in the restaurant, and it's supposed to be the first time they are alone together again in a long time. They're coming back from a falling out (a fight they had because of Nayeon's character, Sihyeon, trying to sabotage Jinsol again) — but they are so used to being together that they miss each other very deeply. Normally Jinsol would admit to this right away, but this fight is different. Jinsol is different too. She's wiser, a little more stubborn.

So both of them are just standing there, silently waiting for the other one to break the silence once and for all. Neither of them wants to leave, but they don't want to speak, either. It's Sana's character, Hyunjin, is the one who ends up breaking the silence because she's screaming at them from the door to just talk to each other once and for all.

And once the silence is broken, they do. They talk about their fight, about Sihyeon and their futures in the restaurant, but Jinsol talks about what is most important to her.

"I've missed you so much while you were gone that I thought about leaving," she confesses. "I don't want to work here without you, Jooyoung. I don't think I can."

"I feel the same," the chef is nodding, but Jinsol shakes her head.

"No, Jooyoung, I —" but then she bites her lip, not finding the words. Or maybe she's just scared.

"What are you saying?" Jooyoung asks, barely audible. Maybe she knows and she just wants to hear her say it.

And then when Tzuyu looks down, she blurts, for all the set to hear:

"Jeongyeon Unnie," she says, breath hitched. "I love you."

And Jooyoung's— _Jeongyeon_ 's eyes grow wide as plates and she's speechless and redder than she has ever seen her. Tzuyu freezes, a million thoughts racing inside her head and _oh my God I'm going to die from embarrassment right now_.

"... You what?"

And only Nayeon can bring them back to Earth because of course she's cackling so hard she might pass out. Sana and Momo are giggling as well, and the only one who has the decency not to laugh is Jihyo, but she's biting back a smile.

"The line is _Jooyoung_ Unnie, Tzuyu-ah," she corrects like Tzuyu isn't hyper-aware of the enormous mistake she's just made.

"Ah..." Tzuyu might have to dig herself inside a hole and never get out. "I know..."

"Do you?" Nayeon whispers, but she can still hear it. Both Tzuyu and Jihyo glare at her.

"I'm just tired," Tzuyu tries to brush it off, forcing a laugh.

Jeongyeon doesn't say anything;, she looks just as shocked as she was three seconds ago, but Jihyo kind of glares at her to move or do something, and she shakes her head to come back to reality.

"Yeah..." she chuckles. "We're just tired."

Nayeon is still laughing when Jihyo tells them to take five, and Tzuyu cringes at the sound even as she all but flees out of the set to get some fresh air. But the door opens again after her, and Jeongyeon walks to where she's standing, and Tzuyu feels the urgency to run away because the blush on her cheeks refuses to leave.

"So..." she begins, and Tzuyu cringes again. She doesn't say anything though, doesn't even look at the older girl.

"Yeah..." Tzuyu trails off after another second of silence. Jeongyeon hums in response, then continues.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me. I'm flattered."

Tzuyu's eyes snap to her left, just to see Jeongyeon barely stifling back a laugh. Tzuyu feels a smile threatening to make its way into her face and she can't help it when it does — she pushes Jeongyeon away with a blush, murmuring, "You're the worst."

Jeongyeon is laughing when she says, "Am I?"

"I hate you," Tzuyu whines, hiding her face with her long sleeves, the blush burning her cheeks from embarrassment.

"You just said you love me, Tzuyu," she tsks. "You can't possibly change your mind so fast."

"Oh, I did." She huffs. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"It's either me or Nayeon," Jeongyeon shrugs. "I think I'm your best option here."

"I think I'll take Nayeon," Tzuyu teases back, bumping her shoulder (It's not true though, Nayeon is a bit too ruthless).

"It was pretty funny, you have to admit," Jeongyeon says back at her, chuckling at the memory and making the blush in Tzuyu's cheeks deepen. She glares at her, and Jeongyeon holds her hands up. "It was such an intense scene and then you made that mistake. You were so petrified."

" _You_ were petrified!" Tzuyu fights back. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost. You got _so_ pale."

"That's not fair!" She replies. "I was totally in the moment, hearing my actual name in the middle of rehearsing was just shocking. I'm a committed actress, you see—"

"Oh God," Tzuyu rolls her eyes, laughing. It feels good to laugh after such an awkward moment, and the embarrassment leaves her body a little bit, letting her relax. It feels like this is the first time in days she's been able to. "You are insufferable."

"I know," she smirks, smugly. Tzuyu rolls her eyes again and Jeongyeon says, "If you keep rolling your eyes, they are going to get stuck like that."

She's about to respond when Nayeon steps outside, apparently looking for them. There's a smile dancing on her lips, the kind of smile you'd except Nayeon to have after someone else just had the most embarrassing moment of their life, and she calls them back inside because the director is ready to start shooting for the actual episode they need to be filming, and Tzuyu is thankful for that.

The next days of filming are full of scenes charged with sexual tension, staring and flirting that's too awkward to actually be considered flirting. The scenes are... really cute. Jinsol and Jooyoung's development is really well made, at least Tzuyu thinks so. It doesn't feel rushed, it just feels natural. And she's happy to have a co-star like Jeongyeon (past-Tzuyu, the one who got an elevator door closed right in her face, would never have thought she'd be saying those words).

Still, there are some parts where they're both just so incredibly _annoying_. It's obvious that they're both developing feelings for each other, yet none of them take the first step. Jinsol is too afraid, and Jooyoung is... Jooyoung.

"They should kiss and be done with it," Tzuyu's telling Jihyo one day, after going through her lines for the fifth time in her office, sitting on the couch next to Jeongyeon who looks at her funny.

Jihyo's smiling at her, but she asks anyway. "What do you mean?"

"It's obvious that Jooyoung doesn't hate her, and probably didn't back then either," she shakes her head. "Jooyoung's being obtuse on purpose. And Jinsol's been in love with her since she first heard about her, basically. She like, worships the ground she walks on."

"Why do you think she's being obtuse?" She asks, crossing her legs and leaving the script laying on her lap.

"She's scared of her own feelings," she thinks aloud. "She's scared Jinsol doesn't feel the same."

"Well, yes, of course," Jeongyeon is nodding. Jihyo sits down on the chair across hers, observing them. "It's obvious she's scared that after the discipline she put Jinsol through, she won't see her that way."

"Jinsol's never acted differently around her, though," Tzuyu frowns slightly, flips through her own script in her hands out of nervousness, maybe. "She's always been sweet, even when she treated her poorly."

"Maybe she's ashamed of her past decisions," Jeongyeon states. It's not proposed as a question or speculation, but rather it feels like she’s leaving room for Tzuyu to disagree if she wants to. "And she's scared of losing her job and reputation and her friends and everything she's built. She's scared of absolutely everything."

Tzuyu bites her lip. "But she's such a strong character..."

"She thinks love makes her weak," Jeongyeon sighs. "That love is what stops her from doing anything. And that's why she tries to keep Jinsol away, don't you think?"

"That's a good analysis," Jihyo nods at her.

"You wrote the script," Jeongyeon snorts. "Are you going to tell us if we're right or wrong?"

"I'll leave that up to you guys," she hums in response and the older girl frowns. "Should we go over it again?"

"I can't," Jeongyeon is shaking her head, placing the script on the table. "I have plans with my sister in fifteen minutes. And it's not at the shelter, so don't get too jealous, Tzuyu."

Tzuyu purses her lips in annoyance. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"You totally were."

"Maybe I was going to say _one_ thing..."

"See?" Jeongyeon smirks as she stands up, "I have you all figured out, Chou."

"Okay, now you're pushing it," Tzuyu rolls her eyes, smiling slightly and urging her out the door. "You can go now."

After Jeongyeon says her goodbyes, Tzuyu is left with Jihyo, who's looking at her in a way Tzuyu can't quite put her finger on. It's curious, but at the same time, she looks like she knows something she doesn't. Tzuyu raises an eyebrow, growing a little shy.

"... What?"

Jihyo smirks slightly. "What what?"

"You're staring at me..." she trails off.

"Tzuyu," Jihyo says. "I'm really happy you and Jeongyeon are friends now."

"Ah," that makes her blush. "I'm happy too."

"Jeongyeon is... special," she continues. "She doesn't have that many friends, despite being really famous. She's really funny but it's hard for her to open up to other people that aren't me or Nayeon or even Momo and Sana, you know?"

Tzuyu finds that a little curious. "She's really charismatic. She's great at parties... investors really like her."

"She's really private," Jihyo explains. "I think she's just a little selective when she chooses who to be around. Jeongyeon is really protective of her friends."

"Oh," Tzuyu doesn't know why they are having this conversation or why she's blushing so much. "Okay."

"The point is, Jeongyeon is really protective," she nods, "but I think she's especially protective of you."

Tzuyu is slightly taken aback, and her cheeks burn. "Ah... Do you think so? What - what makes you say that?"

"Yes," Jihyo nods, fiercely. "She likes to tease you, but I think she really cares about you."

She doesn't really know what to say to that, so her eyes just drop to her hands, resting in her lap. Tzuyu definitely cares about Jeongyeon too, but she hasn't ever stopped to think about it. Maybe she's been avoiding to do so since the premiere, or maybe even before that.

Jihyo hums quietly when she notices her silence, then says, "I'm not trying to say anything, I just think your friendship is really special to her."

"Her friendship is special to me too," she nods. She doesn't hesitate to say it, either. "I'm not... I'm not good with other people either, I guess. A lot of people think I'm boring and quiet. My only friends are my group members and you guys. So... Jeongyeon is special to me too."

Jihyo is smiling, although a better description would be beaming. "Good! That's good. I just wanted you to know."

Tzuyu is about to respond when Jihyo's secretary knocks on her door, half-opening it.

"Ms Park," she says. "The network told me to let you know they are waiting on the line to speak with you about something urgent. They've asked me to ring the cast here."

Jihyo's smile is replaced by a frown. "Oh, okay. Thank you. Please tell them I'm ready for their call." When the secretary leaves, Jihyo turns back to where Tzuyu is, brows still furrowed. "This is strange..."

"What is it about?" Tzuyu asks, but Jihyo just shrugs.

The phone rings just as Sana and Momo are entering, Nayeon in tow, all three of them looking confused and a little lost. Nayeon looks at her for answers, but Tzuyu knows as much as she does. Jeongyeon walks in not long after, choosing to stand next to Tzuyu. She tugs on the older girl’s jacket to get her attention, whispering as Jihyo speaks in hushed tones, "Weren't you supposed to be with your sister?"

"They rang me up before I could even leave," she whispers back at her. That just makes Tzuyu grow all the more suspicious.

Jihyo is biting her lip and running her hand through her hair every two beats, and at some point she even raises her voice to whoever is on the other side of the call, but quickly calms down. Tzuyu thinks it's a bad sign, though.

"Yes, I know, I - I understand." She nods, even if they can’t see her. Although she looks miserable. "Yes, they are here. I'll let them know. I won't back down without a fight, sir. Yes I... okay. Goodbye." Jihyo puts down the phone with shaky fingers, talking through her mouth, and then bites her lip again.

Nayeon is the one who breaks the silence. "Well, what is it?!"

"That was the CEO of the network," Jihyo nods.

"What did they want?" Sana frowns.

"They said Cooking With The Enemy is one of their most successful dramas," she answers, but she doesn't look happy at all.

"Isn't that a good thing, Jihyo?" Nayeon asks, surprisingly soft.

"They say some associations are trying to sue the network for fucking 'Promoting Homosexuality to minors' and trying to get us off the air," She says. "So there's... there's a chance that we're getting canceled."

Tzuyu's breath hitches and Nayeon shakes her head, furiously. "What?"

"They can't risk losing the money if they actually get sued," she shrugs, biting her lip again. "That's just all it is to them. Money."

"They can't," Nayeon continues in disbelief. "They can't actually do that, right?"

Momo sighs. "They can and they probably will."

"We aren't just another drama. This is people's lives we're talking about," Nayeon's voice is close to breaking. "I've seen so many comments and tweets from people thanking us; thanking _you_ , Jihyo. We can't do that, we _can't_ leave them alone."

Jeongyeon is tense, but she still tries to reach for Nayeon's hand to calm her down. "Nayeon, I know—"

"Don't touch me," she flinches, looking like an animal trapped inside a cage, and just like that, she's running out the door. Jeongyeon stares at it like she wishes she could help her too, but everyone knows she needs the comfort of someone else right now.

Jihyo swallows. "I'll go talk to her."

Tzuyu is holding her breath, speechless, even after Jihyo leaves. Momo and Sana take a look at her, and Sana's frown turns into one of concern.

"Tzuyu," she says, softly. "You're white as a sheet."

Jeongyeon's eyes turn to her immediately, and she takes notice of her state. Her hands are slightly shaking, and she feels like there's rocks weighing down her chest.

"Ah..." she can barely talk — there's a lump in her throat that won't let her do so. "I - I'm okay."

"Tzuyu," Jeongyeon says, but Tzuyu's shaking her head and interrupting her.

"I just need a minute, okay? Just —" Everything turns blurry.

She steps out of the office almost violently so, bumping her shoulder against Jeongyeon in the process. But Jeongyeon follows her into the hallway anyway, waiting until she can finally breathe properly to actually get her to talk. Although Tzuyu doesn't know when that'll happen.

"Tzu..." she says, but doesn't say anything else. Her voice is soft, delicate, as if Tzuyu's made of glass and if she speaks louder she'll shatter. Tzuyu hates it though, she doesn't want Jeongyeon to think she's weak even though that's what she thinks about herself anyway.

"I —" Tzuyu starts, but she doesn't even know if she wants to say something, so she just shuts up.

"I know," Jeongyeon replies. "I know, Tzu."

And she does. She knows. If there's anyone on Earth who knows, it's her.

"I love this drama," Tzuyu says, voice cracking. Though it's not only that. She loves Jinsol, she loves Jooyoung, she loves the crew, the people she works with — she loves working with Jeongyeon. And she knows the thousands of people who watch the show love it too, that they find comfort in the characters and that they'd be crushed to know why, out of all reasons, the show is getting canceled. It breaks Tzuyu's heart into a million pieces and she can't pick them up fast enough this time.

"I love it too," Jeongyeon answers, simply. Her eyes even grow slightly watery. "But we can fight for it, Tzuyu. We can —"

"I'm not brave enough, Jeongyeon," she shakes her head. It's the first time in a long time she's let tears stream down her face in front of another person, and Jeongyeon looks shocked as they trail down her cheeks and disappear into the navel of her neck. "I'm not you. I'm a coward."

Jeongyeon stares at her as she takes the elevator, but doesn't try to stop her.

Her members are quiet when Tzuyu tells them what happened with teary eyes and a tired look on her face. Chaeyoung brings tissues and a blanket and Dahyun cuddles her close in the sofa, while Mina listens intently. She doesn’t feel like speaking much, but it’s nice to know she has their support.

"Tzu," Chaeyoung says, stroking her arm. "I know you're really sad, but this doesn't mean you didn't do anything for them. You really fought for Jinsol."

"It just means they took it away from them," Tzuyu says, bitterly. She doesn't want all of her hard work just being thrown away like it's nothing; she doesn't want to leave those people with nothing. There's another lump in her throat but she doesn't want to cry — she feels almost too tired to do so, like she doesn't have the energy to cry in front of them even though they are probably the three people in the entire world who understand her the most. "And I can't do anything."

"Maybe it won't even get canceled!" Dahyun tries to be optimistic. "Didn't Jihyo say that they'll _maybe_ cancel it? That doesn't mean it'll happen."

"That's just code for it's getting canceled," she shakes her head, tired. "They won't lose money."

"But the show is a success..." Mina frowns. "Its ratings are amazing. And it was all over Naver the other day, trending on international apps as well. I don't get it... ?"

"They can't risk a lawsuit," Chaeyoung bites her lip, replying before Tzuyu can. Tzuyu nods her head slightly.

"Yeah," she says. "Screw all our hard work..."

She feels ashamed for crying in front of Jeongyeon, for ignoring her texts and for feeling useless. And there's this undeniable sense of guilt that comes with it, one that makes her feel like she's ten pounds heavier and barely lets her stand up and not feel dizzy. She feels like a coward for not standing up for the drama, for her job, for what she actually believes in. She feels like a coward for running from Jeongyeon. But most of all, she feels like she's guilty of not doing anything, despite how much her friends try to make her believe she’s done her best, she just can't bring herself to it.

Tzuyu spends the next four days in bed, only coming out to eat or train. Chaeyoung and Dahyun all try to cheer her up in different ways. Chaeyoung tries to cook her something delicious to help her feel better, but she's not very hungry these days; Dahyun tries to make her laugh showing her cute animal videos that she finds on Youtube just to see her crack a smile, but she doesn't feel like laughing these days either.

Mina is the one who knocks on her door to just stroke her hair and sit next to her, simply seeking her presence, no words or gifts. It brings her comfort, the kind only Mina can really give. It reminds Tzuyu of her mom a lot.

She doesn't get news from the show at all. There's radio silence from the network and Jihyo doesn't really know anything that's going on but she's still been texting to ask how Tzuyu's holding up, and honestly, Tzuyu feels even guiltier when she gets those texts — she should be the one trying to comfort Jihyo and Nayeon. And she can't bring herself to look at the messages Jeongyeon sends her; she doesn't even dare to open her chat. She just stares at the screen and blocks her phone before she can read what she texts her. It doesn't make her feel better, it probably makes her feel even worse but Tzuyu feels like she deserves it.

Tzuyu misses the drama a lot, more than she actually imagined she would — it's become such an important part of her life. She misses the thrill of filming a scene and hearing the feedback from directors, wearing the costumes and acting as Jinsol. She misses running around with Sana and Momo, misses the way Jihyo would ask her what she thought was best for a scene; she even misses Nayeon and her compliments that were more insults than anything. And she really, _really_ misses Jeongyeon (more than she'll ever be willing to admit).

It's three in the morning when her phone starts ringing after a RomCom marathon she had to try and cheer herself up. She absentmindedly picks it from her nightstand and asks, voice low, "Hello?"

"Tzuyu," the voice on the other side of the line says. "Are you awake?"

"Jeongyeon Unnie...?" she asks, blinking her eyes open. She ignores the way her heart beats faster when she hears her voice — that's another conversation entirely. "What - ?"

"Tzuyu," Jeongyeon answers, sounding excited. "Open Twitter."

"What?"

"Just open the Twitter app!"

"Jesus, okay," she frowns, taking the laptop on her nightstand and opening it. "Not even a good morning?"

"It's like three AM," Jeongyeon replies, wryly. "Are you on Twitter?"

"Yes," she nods even though she can't see her, as the page loads. "Why are you so impatient? Did something happen? What am I supposed to -"

"Look at the trends," she says. "The worldwide trends."

Frowning, Tzuyu's eyes fall on the section, and one thing makes her gasp: the hashtag ' _Save Cooking With The Enemy_ ' is trending number two worldwide.

"What...?"

"Did you see it?" Jeongyeon says, the excited tone of her voice still present.

Hurriedly, Tzuyu clicks on the hashtag, and she immediately is flooded with hundreds of tweets cussing out the network and the CEOs, thousands of Naver articles linked with knetz in outrage against canceling the show. She stares at her screen in disbelief, trying to wrap her mind around what's happening.

"Jeongyeon..."

"There's an account who tweeted it before anyone else," she tells her. "It's a foreign news outlet. Click on their tweet and read the replies."

She's quick to find the tweet Jeongyeon mentioned; it's probably the first one on the trending page and easily the one with the most likes and retweets. She reads, " _[BREAKING] Cooking With The Enemy in danger of being canceled by network for 'Promoting Homosexuality to minors'"_ , and when she glances at the replies there are thousands of angry comments in many languages Tzuyu can't read, but she can still understand their anger. Some of them are even using the hashtag. She's so shocked that for a second she forgets Jeongyeon is on the other side of the line, waiting.

"This is insane," she says, because she really doesn't have any other words to describe what's happening.

"I know," Jeongyeon says, laughing in disbelief. "It's like the world is coming together for this. We're making history, Tzuyu."

"How did people even hear about it?" Tzuyu asks out loud, still looking at the replies and reading everything she can understand.

"I might've anonymously tipped the media," Jeongyeon says after a second of silence, and Tzuyu can almost imagine how she flinches when she says that.

Tzuyu stops in her tracks. "... Are you serious." It's not a question.

"It was worth it though!"

"If anyone finds out, you could lose your job!" She doesn't know why she grows angry; it's not like there's a way for people to discover that it was Jeongyeon, and it's not like bad things have come out of what she did. But... she could've hurt her entire career. That's what makes Tzuyu mad. "Are you insane, Yoo Jeongyeon?! You could get fired. Even blacklisted!"

"Well," she sighs. "If that happens, I'll accept it. I can't sit back and watch them take this drama away from us after everything we've done.”

“And you think this drama is worth risking your entire career over?! Losing all your money? Getting sued?” She huffs in frustration. “Why would you do something like that?”

She can almost imagine Jeongyeon shrugging when she replies, “I did it for you, Tzuyu. Well, for everyone. But mostly you."

Tzuyu blinks, taken aback. There’s a moment of silence, one where Tzuyu feels her anger dying down. How can she stay mad after everything she's done for her? And these days Jeongyeon has a way of calming her down, comforting her and making her feel better. And she can always trust Jeongyeon to be honest and brave when she fights for... well, what she cares about. The thought of Jeongyeon caring about her is enough to make the anxious knot inside her stomach turn into warmth.

"You're brave, Jeongyeon Unnie. I think you're the bravest person I know."

Jeongyeon grows a little quieter on the other line, and she might even think the other girl fell asleep if it weren't for her steady breathing. "I know you... " she starts, but then trails off for a second or two. "I don't think you're a coward. I _know_ you aren't. Jihyo told me how much you wanted to play Jinsol. You fought for this just as much as we did— my agency didn't want me to play Jooyoung either, and no network wanted to broadcast the drama... we all fought for it, including you. That makes you brave too."

Tzuyu feels like the air's been knocked out of her. She doesn't really know what to say, what to make of that, so she says the first thing that comes to mind despite her heart beating so fast it might burst. She bites her lip, thinking about past-Tzuyu and how much she fought to act in this drama. She thinks about how much her own guilt still weighs heavy inside of her and makes her feel like a coward still; but maybe if Jeongyeon can believe she’s brave so can Tzuyu.

"Okay," she says, because she doesn't really know what else to say.

"Okay?" Jeongyeon replies. It doesn’t sound like she's asking for her to say something else, more like she's relieved she accepted the praise. Like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. "I thought you were going to try to fight me on that."

Tzuyu can't help the smile that makes its way into her face. "I think I'm too tired to fight you today. It's too late at night."

"You can send me an angry text in the morning if you want," she suggests.

Tzuyu hums. "You _did_ wake me up at three am..."

"It was for a good cause though," Jeongyeon reminds her .

"Hm, we'll see," Tzuyu says playfully, but then the anxious feeling returns to her, and she's biting her lip. "This might not mean anything, though. The show might still get canceled..."

Jeongyeon grows a little quieter again, but then she says, "I know but... at least we tried, right? For everyone."

Tzuyu finds herself nodding.

"Yeah... we did, didn't we?"

It's Jihyo who brings her the good news, almost ten hours later — and she's practically yelling in euphoria at her that the network decided to save the show; apparently, public international outrage is worse than a lawsuit. Even though it's mostly for the corporation's reputation that the show is saved, Tzuyu doesn't really care. She's so happy she starts dancing around the living room and she's soon joined by her group members, who don't really know what's going on but it's been so long since Tzuyu smiled like that that they don't ask too many questions.

(She texts Jeongyeon later, reads through the texts she sent her that she didn't actually read. They say things like, _I'm sorry_ or _Are you okay?_ and the last one of them reads, _I miss you_ , and they make Tzuyu's heart feel heavy inside her chest. She texts her back.

_From: You_

_You won't be missing me for long, Unnie_ )

Tzuyu is downing what is probably her third glass of champagne when she finally finds a chair to sit on. She's been at this party for at least three hours and she hasn't been able to sit for the entirety of it because her managers were dragging her from person to person to 'make connections'. Her cheeks hurt from straining her smile and she could do without hearing another compliment about how gorgeous she is from an old man who looks like he's taking her clothes off with his stare. She's drunk and terribly exhausted —she was just filming four hours ago and she barely had time to change and get her makeup done for the party.

It's the first time in what feels like weeks that she's able to breathe again. Between filming, training, preparing for her group's comeback and working on the drama has really worn her out. But the show is one of the most successful KBS has ever aired ratings-wise (and the cancelation rumors only made the rating skyrocket even more), so she endures it for the fans, especially after all she's done to save it. Plus it's not like she's not used to chaos; she’s an Idol after all. And soon they'll already start shooting the last episode.

(She also gets letters. Some are awful, talking about how she's a disgrace and brings shame to her own group — but she also gets good ones. From sad and confused kids, people who've been shunned and stripped from everything they have, thanking her. She keeps them in her drawer and wonders if Jeongyeon gets those too.)

She spots Jihyo and Nayeon near the bar, Nayeon borderline clinging to her girlfriend, and Tzuyu can't help but snort, a little drunkenly so. Now that she knows the truth, she realizes that they aren't good at hiding their relationship at all. They are always together, and she's pretty sure they even live together. The guilt she felt when the show was at risk comes back at her in waves some days. Tzuyu wonders what they tell their parents, their friends — it's a little scary to think about. To lie about such a big part of your life for so long. They both have careers, lives... the smile falls from her lips.

But Jihyo turns around then, and she's smiling, looking happy and calm. She quickly catches Tzuyu's eye and her smile widens, holding up her glass to her and nodding. Tzuyu's smile returns and she raises her glass (and an eyebrow) right back at her. It makes her feel a little better. Jihyo laughs and points at Nayeon with her head, then rolls her eyes. Nayeon cannot handle her alcohol.

Tzuyu thinks about walking to where they are but she's too comfortable in her chair, plus she doesn't want to interrupt what might be a private moment between them, so she stays where she is. She's not alone for long though, because Sana is suddenly running towards where she is (in heels) dragging Momo (who is also in heels).

"Tzuyu!" she exclaims, a glass of champagne in hand. Momo looks drunk too, blabbering in Japanese and almost stumbling in her heels.

"Hey, Sana," she smiles. "Are you drunk?"

Sana winks and raises her glass. "No! it's water, actually. I don't like alcohol. Momo's _gone_ , though. I'll have to call a cab because I don't have a driver's license." Tzuyu doesn't ask, but Sana continues anyway. "Momo was the one who drove us here, believe it or not. Have you seen Jeongyeon? I need to ask her something about this restaurant she told me about the other day. She gets pretty flirty and cuddly when she's drunk, did you know that? She's so—"

"Oh my God," Momo interrupts, placing a hand on her forehead. "Will you stop blabbering already? My head is killing me."

Sana glares. "And if I leave you here then what, huh?! Do you want to be left behind in this place?!"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry," Momo apologizes, pouting. "Can we please go home?"

"Yeah, I guess it can wait," The pink-haired girl sighs while looking at her friend. She turns to look down at Tzuyu. "I know it’s been a while, but I’m so happy you and Jeongyeon are finally friends. And both of you looked so cute today too! Even though you guys didn’t get matching outfits this time.”

"We've barely spent time together today..." Tzuyu says when Sana pouts at her. And it's true, they're usually paired together for every event except for this one.

Momo nods. "Yeah, she looked miserable, didn't she, Sana? She kept stealing glances at Tz—"

"Aren't you super sleepy, Momo?" Sana interrupts, with a strained smile that's threatening to become a snarl. Tzuyu frowns in confusion. "Let's get you home."

"We were just—"

And as she came, Sana leaves, dragging Momo away. "Bye, Tzuyu!"

Tzuyu watches her go, still frowning. _Those two..._ she doesn't have much time to dwell on it because someone sits on the chair beside her, and she stiffens slightly.

"Hey," the person says, and Tzuyu immediately relaxes once she realizes who it is.

"Hi," she smiles at Jeongyeon, who is the only person she has seen without a glass of champagne in her hand the whole evening. She's wearing an oversized suit, this time black. Tzuyu's wearing a white dress, so they aren't matching this time like Sana said. "Where were you?"

"Talking to some old guy about money. Are you getting drunk, Chou Tzuyu?" she questions, gesturing at her busy hand.

"Maybe..." she smiles. "You aren't, _Mom_?"

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes slightly. "I'm not, because this is a professional event and I am a professional person." Tzuyu stares blankly for approximately three seconds before she gives in. "Okay, I might've downed three vodka shots at the bar. But I'm not drunk, like you."

"I'm not drunk," she huffs. "I didn't down vodka shots like _you_ did."

"Can you blame me, though?" Jeongyeon whines, eliciting a laugh out of Tzuyu. "These people are boring and rude just because they are rich. I had three different people ask me if I have a secret boyfriend I can't tell the press about... Today was so hellish."

"Did you miss me?" she means it as a joke, something to banter about, but Jeongyeon just shrugs.

"Yes," she says, bluntly, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Tzuyu's stomach flips inside of her and she can't explain why, and she's momentarily thrown off balance. "It's more fun when we can make jokes about them. Did you miss me too, Tzuyu?"

"No," she says, wryly.

"C'mon!" Jeongyeon groans, pouting like a puppy. "Not even a little bit?"

Tzuyu has to bite her cheek to keep herself from laughing, and she shakes her head and says, wryly, "Not even a little bit."

"You hurt my feelings," Jeongyeon announces, and Tzuyu can't help the small giggle that escapes her; doesn't miss the way it makes Jeongyeon break into a smile. "Do you really want me to go to sleep tonight with a broken heart?"

Tzuyu feels herself blush slightly, and she looks down at her glass. Jeongyeon was pretty much forced to be at her hip for the past events they've attended. It was only today that the network decided to keep them separated the entire night to 'appease' more investors, and Tzuyu has to admit she's missed her. Jeongyeon always tries to make her laugh, charmingly changes the topic when something that's said doesn't make her comfortable (which happens more often than Tzuyu wants to think about, people ask too many personal questions just because she's an Idol), and she doesn't force her to talk or engage. And when no one's listening to them, Jeongyeon makes jokes that make her bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting in laughter. She kind of makes these events bearable.

"Okay, yeah..." she nods, biting back a smile. "I'm only confessing this because I'm slightly drunk. I... might've missed you interrupting people when they get rude."

"See then? You did miss me," Jeongyeon says, smugly. Tzuyu snorts.

"You admitted to missing me first," she responds. "So, technically, _I_ won."

"I didn't know this was a competition," Jeongyeon raises an eyebrow.

"Everything is a competition," Tzuyu jokes, hitting her slightly with her shoulder. Jeongyeon smiles, the sight making Tzuyu blush.

"You would've won anyway," Jeongyeon shakes her head. "I missed you too much."

Jeongyeon needs to stop saying things like that, they just make Tzuyu blush red as a tomato. "I missed you too..." she trails off. There's a moment of silence, a comfortable one, where their heads sway to the music that's playing in the background, and the alcohol settles in Tzuyu's belly, warmly.

"It's late," the older girl says. "Shouldn't you be home already?"

"I'm not a kid," Tzuyu frowns. "I'm supposed to stay for the entire thing. So no early beauty sleep for me."

"And you need so much of it..." Jeongyeon shakes her head, and Tzuyu takes the opportunity to bump her with her shoulder, harder this time. She laughs, standing up, and stares at Tzuyu expectantly, holding out a hand for her.

Tzuyu frowns. "What...?"

"C'mon," she gestures with her head. "Let's get out of here."

"Jeongyeon, _no._ "

"Tzuyu, _yes_."

"We can't, Jeongyeon," Tzuyu frowns at her still extended hand. "The guests are gonna look for us. And we're supposed to be talking to these people too, which we should start doing again -"

"Live a little, Chou," Jeongyeon teases, waving her hand around. Tzuyu glares at her at the use of her last name. "Nobody's going to miss us, the party is almost over. Plus these people don't care where we are, they are old and rich and they are getting drunk."

Tzuyu stares at her hand again and bites her lip. The night's been pretty uneventful (that's code for boring), and it's true that the party is close to ending. Sneaking out to the big garden outside the venue doesn't sound like such a bad idea when she's had three glasses of champagne and Jeongyeon's eyes are glinting with mischief.

She takes Jeongyeon's hand. "If something goes wrong, I'll blame it all on you."

Jeongyeon smirks, "And I'll gladly take the blame! Now let's go before your managers notice."

The thought of escaping from her managers would usually make Tzuyu stop in her tracks, but it does nothing for her as she's led to the backdoor by Jeongyeon. Normally, Tzuyu would never do this. She isn't adventurous. She likes what's safe and easy and what doesn't bring too many complications; Tzuyu would've never imagined she'd be playing in this drama, doing these kinds of things. She likes funny movies and animals and she sings and dances the same songs over and over — but Jeongyeon makes her feel different. Like she wants to try something new. Like maybe she'd go for a walk in the gardens without her heels on, stain the back of her foot with dirt and grass. She thinks she might like it.

"Where are you taking me?" She asks.

"I've been here before, when I was promoting a movie," Jeongyeon tells her. "Just follow me."

They walk through the kitchen and giggle at the staff's stunned faces until Jeongyeon finally finds the exit door, which opens to that mysterious back garden. The air feels a little heavy and moist, and the grass is sprinkled with dew. The stars are shining. Tzuyu wonders — when was the last time she had a moment to just look at them? It feels like a lifetime ago.

She's speechless for a second, and Jeongyeon chuckles slightly, "That promotional party I talked about before, I was really bored,” she explains, “So I befriended one of the waiters and he showed me where he smoked, which is... here."

"It's pretty..." Tzuyu breathes, although she doesn't think she does it justice.

"Yeah," she says. She's not looking at the sky. "Pretty."

They stay in silence for a second, where Tzuyu just lets herself breathe fresh air into her lungs and feels sober, a bit calmer. Even though the warmth in her belly refuses to leave, it's a nice sensation and she welcomes it. Tzuyu smiles slightly.

"Do you think my managers already noticed I'm gone?"

"Probably," Jeongyeon chuckles. "They are vultures. I mean that in the best way possible, it's their job after all."

"And they are good at it," Tzuyu agrees. "I never... sneaked out, before. I don't do that. Those are usually Chaeyoung and Dahyun."

Jeongyeon smiles at her. "You're not a troublemaker."

"I'm boring," she jokes, but Jeongyeon shakes her head slightly, a smile still dancing on her lips.

"Nah, I don't think you're boring," she replies. "You care about people. That's a good thing, don't you think?"

Tzuyu passingly thinks that if Jeongyeon keeps complimenting her like that, she'll have to kiss her. Her own thought shocks her, but she doesn't dwell much on it. Instead, she lets Jeongyeon’s comment float in the midnight air, and she breathes it in. She thinks about all those weeks before she had actually spoken and gotten to know Jeongyeon, how much she used to think she was careless and rude. She thinks about how much Jeongyeon actually _cares_.

"I'm... glad you stopped protecting me," Tzuyu says after a long pause, softly. "I'm happy I can get to know you."

Jeongyeon nods as she hides her hands in her pockets, her face hardening. "I'm sorry for that, anyway. I was - I'm a little awkward, I guess. I didn't let my true intentions show and I confused you."

Tzuyu remembers the conversation she had with Jihyo in her office a couple of weeks ago and feels a fond smile settling on her lips.

"It's okay," she reassures her. "You were trying to help me. I understand."

"Thanks, Tzu," she says. "For understanding." Jeongyeon is... blushing. This is like, the second time Tzuyu's ever seen her flustered enough to blush.

"Are you blu - ?"

"Don't even _say_ it."

(Tzuyu laughs so much Jeongyeon just has to join in.)

Her managers find them quickly enough, though — they weren't exactly sneaky running around the kitchen. They tell Tzuyu off for at least fifteen seconds before announcing that the car is waiting to drive her back to the dorm, and she feels sorry that she has to leave now. She was dying to do so just half an hour ago, but now she pouts as she waves goodbye to the older girl.

Still, she doesn't have to wait long. The moment she's tucking herself into bed, her phone lights up.

_From: Yoo Jeongyeon :P_  
_Did you get home safe????_

Tzuyu needs to go to sleep soon, the alcohol is making her heart beat faster. She types her reply right away:

_From: You_  
_Yes, mom_

Jeongyeon doesn't take too long to reply, either. As soon as she hits send she can already see the little dots indicating that she's typing her response.

 _From: Yoo Jeongyeon :P_  
_Good_  
(After a second, Jeongyeon adds), _I got home too in case you were wondering_

Tzuyu giggles.

 _From: You_  
_I wasn't_ (She was.)  
_But I'm glad you're safe_  
(Then for good measure, she adds), _Grandma_.

_From: Yoo Jeongyeon :P_  
_Grandma? Really? -_-_

She lets out a laugh when she pictures the way Jeongyeon is probably frowning at her screen, for so long that her phone locks and forces her to look at the time — it's four AM, and she has vocal training tomorrow. Pouting slightly at having to end the conversation, she texts her goodnight, but Tzuyu goes to sleep with a smile on her lips and laughter dancing in her tongue.

_From: Yoo Jeongyeon :P_  
_Goodnight, Tzu._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is actually inspired in this one snl korea episode i watched (i think it was the block b episode) where two male idols kissed and the episode was banned for 'promoting homosexuality to minors' by the korea communications standards commission


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's only one bed... oh my god there's only one bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> para mi querida nat
> 
> almost at the end omg  
> thank you to the always wonderful and amazing ten @[itotoro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itotoro/pseuds/itotoro) for beta reading this chapter, and also apologies for the long wait! my computer broke, then i had exams, and now i have even more exams but i think u guys deserved a new chapter first TT

It’s a strange scene to leave last minute, honestly.

“Listen,” Jihyo says. “I just didn’t want to make Jeongyeon uncomfortable by filming it too early. You know how she is.”

Yeah, Tzuyu knows how Jeongyeon is. She’s pretty sure she’s way more uncomfortable with the fact that their last scene to film — their _goodbye_ scene at that, when the entire studio and crew will be watching teary-eyed because their jobs are… well, _ending_ — is the scene where they kiss. The only time in the entire drama they do so (orders from the network). Mind you, they don’t film scenes chronologically, just in order of episode. And the kiss isn’t the last scene in the drama.

They don’t even rehearse it, which has Tzuyu a little nervous. Nayeon and Jihyo are quick to assure that it’s better this way, that the chemistry will come naturally and that she or Jeongyeon shouldn’t worry because they have enough chemistry already.

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Sana nods when Jihyo says it. “Your unresolved sexual tension is great.”

Which is… good? A good compliment because they are actresses. Tzuyu tries not to think about it too much.

But now, two weeks later, Jeongyeon stiffens next to them in their tiny dressing room as they wait for Tzuyu’s make-up to be done. “I just wish we could’ve prepared the scene a bit better.”

And the fact that Jeong is actually so nervous and quiet just makes everything so much worse, because when Tzuyu is a bundle of nerves it’s Jeongyeon who brings her back to Earth, and when Jeongyeon is uncomfortable Tzuyu doesn’t know what to do, which just makes her feel bad.

“Hey,” Tzuyu says, trying to be the brave one. She’s tapping her feet on the floor to the beat of an old Taiwanese song to ease her anxiety as the make-up artist dabs a sponge in her face. “It’s just a kiss, right…?”

She’s searching for validation, for Jeong to say, _yeah, it’s just a stupid kiss_. But Jeongyeon makes a face, then bites her lip and doesn’t say anything. It’s not just a stupid kiss for Tzuyu, she was trying to make the situation a bit lighter but it seems she just screwed up.

It’s not just a stupid kiss. It’s Tzuyu’s first kiss. And it’s going to be broadcasted on National Television. And she’ll be kissing another girl. Tzuyu feels panic bubble up in her chest and the tapping becomes a bit aggressive.

“We don’t need to practice,” she says, although it’s more for herself than for anyone else. “We haven’t practiced for plenty of scenes and they’ve been fine, like the one where we had to throw flour at each other, and when—”

“Tzuyu,” Nayeon says, lips pressed together slightly. It makes her cheeks look even rounder. She and Jihyo are standing behind Jeongyeon’s chair. “You’re Jeongyeon-ing.”

“Yeah,” Jihyo agrees. “And Jeongyeon is totally Tzuyu-ing.”

“What are you talking about?” Asks Tzuyu, at the same time Jeongyeon frowns and asks, “did you just make my name a _verb_?”

“Tzuyu-ing is when you freak out and stare at a wall while tense and not saying anything for far too long and you start to look like a haunted doll,” Nayeon explains. “Jeongyeon-ing is when Jeongyeon freaks out and she starts blabbering and tapping her foot.”

“You’ve totally spent so much time around the other that you’ve adopted each other’s nervous tics. It’s every writer’s dream,” Jihyo says, and she means it as a joke because she’s giggling but Tzuyu still blushes up to her ears.

Jeongyeon glares, then says, “Jeongyeon-ing is _not_ a thing.”

Jihyo huffs. “Oh, it totally is.

“Is not—”

“Jeongyeon,” Nayeon interrupts. “You’re Jeongyeon-ing.”

Tzuyu glances down at the floor. Jeongyeon is tapping her foot against the floor tiles erratically. She blushes and stops, but Nayeon and Jihyo cackle for like three whole minutes after (Tzuyu might’ve giggled a bit, too).

After a few minutes, Jeongyeon clears her throat. “Hey,” she addresses the make-up artist too. “Can I have a second with Tzu? Alone?”

Tzuyu bites the inside of her cheek, suddenly growing even more nervous. As they clear the room, Nayeon and Jihyo share a look that Tzuyu pretends not to notice. Once they are finally alone, Jeongyeon seems to grow even more anxious — the foot tapping returns. The fact that she’s so on edge puts Tzuyu on edge, who is currently having a classic Tzuyu-ing moment. _God._

“What’s up?” she asks, as casually as she can manage.

Jeong looks a bit undecided, then shakes her head as if telling herself to cut to the chase. “I just… I know this is weird. The kiss scene. And if you’re uncomfortable with it, we can always cut it out of the show if you don’t want to do it.”

“Oh,” Tzuyu says.

There’s a moment of silence.

It hits her then — she’s not kissing another girl. She’s kissing _Jeongyeon._ Jeongyeon, who sneaks her to secret gardens in the middle of boring parties, Jeongyeon who owns an animal shelter, Jeongyeon who calls her at three AM with good news, Jeongyeon who teases her for accidentally telling her she loved her that one time, Jeongyeon who gets drunk during events she shouldn’t because she likes to make Tzuyu laugh. Jeongyeon, the girl she hated, and who is now her friend. The girl who asks if she’s comfortable before they do anything because she’s just that kind of person. And Tzuyu realizes, if there’s one person she’d ever have to do this with, _her first kiss,_ she’s happy that it’s her.

“Are you okay with it?” Tzuyu asks.

“Huh?”

“The kiss,” she clarifies.

Jeongyeon scratches the back of her neck. “Is this a trick question?”

Despite the heavy atmosphere, Tzuyu snorts.

“No, dummy,” she says, rolling her eyes fondly. “Just answer the question.”

“Yes,” Jeongyeon answers almost immediately — even if she blushes the most she’s _ever_ seen her. Tzuyu’d tease her if she herself wasn’t also blushing from head to toe. “Yes, I’m okay with it.”

Even embarrassed, Jeongyeon’s eyes stare deeply into Tzuyu’s own. For some reason, Sana’s comment comes to mind, _your unresolved sexual tension is great_ , and it makes a shiver run down her spine.

“Okay,” she nods. “Then I’m okay with it too.”

“Good,” Jeong says, and let’s a small smile slip into her features.

“I never thought my first kiss was going to be broadcasted everywhere,” Tzuyu jokes to lighten the mood, but Jeongyeon’s eyes widen.

“Your _first_ _kiss_?!”

Tzuyu blushes. “Yes. No need to rub it on my face—”

“No, no,” Jeongyeon waves her hands around. “I didn’t mean it like _that_. It’s just… hard to believe.”

“Why?” Tzuyu frowns. Jeongyeon starts stuttering almost instantly.

“You — you’re Chou Tzuyu.”

“... And?”

“I just— you’re... nevermind, oh my God,” she says, realizing what she’d walked herself right into.

Tzuyu bites back a grin. “Say it, Jeongyeon Unnie. Say i _tttt_.”

“You’re the worst for making me say it,” Jeongyeon says, even though she’s borderline laughing. “You’re like, the most beautiful girl in the world. Or whatever.”

Tzuyu feels her tummy fill with warmth. She doesn’t care much for compliments about her physical appearance (sometimes Dahyun comments about the appearance of her aura, which is always fun and confusing), but when they come from Jeongyeon they always feel special.

“Thank you,” she says, a little smugly. 

“I really didn’t think this was going to be your first kiss,” Jeongyeon continues. “Now I’m going to put on even more chapstick. There’s new pressure added.”

Tzuyu rolls her eyes. “It’s not such a big deal,” she says, as if she hadn’t been freaking out about it just three minutes ago. “Who was yours, Unnie?”

“Ah, it was someone from High School,” Jeong says, a little dismissively. Then she tenses slightly and confesses, “A girl from class.”

Oh. 

Well, it’s not like Tzuyu hadn’t suspected Jeongyeon was gay, but she’s happy she’s comfortable enough to share it with her. Truthfully, Tzuyu feels proud of Jeongyeon for telling her. Tzuyu really thinks she might be the bravest person she knows. She has no explanation for the butterflies she feels in her stomach though.

“What was her name?”

“Seulgi,” she nods, visibly relaxing. “She was really, really pretty. She’d steal glances at my seat all the time, and then one day she dragged me to the gym in the middle of recess and kissed me.”

“That’s sweet,” Tzuyu smiles slightly. It really is, even if something inside of her twists.

“Yeah,” Jeongyeon sighs, then she makes a face. “It was until she cussed me out because she apparently wasn’t gay even if she kissed me first.”

Tzuyu’s smile falls instantly, and she reaches for Jeongyeon’s hand. Before she can think better of it, Jeongyeon takes it, and Tzuyu hopes it’s at least comforting.

“I’m sorry...” she says, genuinely. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Jeong shakes her head. “It’s okay.”

Jeongyeon always says that. Tzuyu frowns for a second, a bit annoyed at the fact that it’s obviously not okay, but her friend keeps a lot of things bottled. Jeongyeon draws faint shapes on Tzuyu’s hand with her thumb. If she closes her eyes, she thinks she might be able to see them in the dark: a circle, a star, half a heart…

“Well,” Tzuyu says. “This can be your first kiss, too.”

“Tzuyu,” Jeongyeon snorts, smug. “That wasn’t my _only_ kiss...”

“I’m speaking metaphorically,” she explains. “Like, this will be your true first kiss, like that time we re-introduced ourselves. A fresh start.”

Jeongyeon hums for a second, then she breaks into a smile that could light up the entire room (and maybe an entire house, too. Hell, an entire building).

“I’d really like that.”

That’s when there’s a soft knock at the door, and Jihyo’s head sticks out the door.

“Guys, we need you on set in five,” and then her tiny head disappears once again.

Tzuyu tries to suppress a sigh, but she’s a little bit of an emotional mess all of a sudden. It’s their last day on set, their last scene and last day as Jinsol. She’s grown attached to her character and her co-workers, and especially to the routine. Not that it’s a good routine, but it’s _hers_. It’s been her routine for months. And in this routine, she sees Nayeon, Jihyo, Sana, Momo and most especially Jeongyeon almost every single day, so she can’t bring herself to dislike it no matter how chaotic it is. 

She smiles a bit sadly. 

“Ah…” she gestures around the dressing room, “I’m gonna miss this...”

“Sitting around in a dirty dressing room?” Jeong teases, but Tzuyu can tell she’s emotional about the whole thing too. 

“It’s not dirty. You make sure of that,” she jokes back, and then says, “You know what I mean.”

Jeong nods, smiling too. “Yeah, I do.”

Tzuyu realizes then: Jeongyeon is still holding her hand. She’s a bit embarrassed, but she doesn’t let go — Instead, she tugs at it and stands up.

“Let’s film the best kiss scene ever,” Jeongyeon says.

Tzuyu hums in agreement. “Let’s.”

They walk into the set together, and there they find the entire crew (lighting, writers room, every one) chatting and celebrating. Tzuyu can smell the faint aroma of beer. On the other side of the room, a couple of crew members have a cake with “Cooking with the Enemy” written on it, except the word enemy is crossed out and replaced with ‘Lover’.

“There they are!” Sana greets as soon as she spots them. She’s buzzing with energy with how excited she is. “The couple of the hour!”

Tzuyu blushes, and Jeong finally let’s go of her hand. It’s not a particularly cold day, but she misses the warm touch nonetheless.

“Just one last scene,” Momo says, sliding next to her best friend. 

“Just one last scene...” Jeongyeon repeats, as if taking it all in.

“Don’t remind me,” Sana pouts, and Tzuyu joins the sentiment. “I’ll get all emotional and ruin my mascara.”

“I don’t want it to end either,” Tzuyu nods.

“We’ll convince Jihyo to make another season,” says Momo, who looks more determined that she’s ever seen her. “It can be in like, space. Space chefs or something. _Anything_.”

“You’re acting like we’ll never see each other again,” Jeongyeon snickers. “We still have the press conference in Busan. And even more promotional stuff to do and film.”

“Yes,” Momo replies, rolling her eyes. “But will those things have decent doughnuts that the underpaid gay intern brings to us while Nayeon yells at some lighting guy? Will they have Tzuyu staring off into space with a straight back while Jihyo fans herself with a script and you unnecessarily cleaning an already clean dressing room? No they won’t.”

“Nayeon can always yell at another guy,” Jeongyeon offers, although half-heartedly.

“It’s simply not good enough,” Momo shakes her head.

As if on cue, Nayeon jogs up to them. “I heard my name and I had to come here running.”

“We know.”

“Are you guys ready for your last scene?” Nayeon ignores Momo’s comment, running a hand through her hair. “The much awaited kiss scene?” 

Sana squeals, as if just now remembering it’s a romantic one.

“Finally the kiss scene! I’ve been dying to witness this.”

Tzuyu blushes once again. She’d almost managed to forget.

“Right?! Finally those two are kissing,” Nayeon says, not buzzing with anticipation like Sana but definitely a Nayeon kind of excited. She does not specify who she’s referring to by ‘those two’. “Like, the pent up sexual tension. They are so annoying.”

“We’re talking about the characters here,” Jeongyeon seeks clarification, “right?”

Nayeon does not blink. “... Sure.”

Jihyo is next to her girlfriend then, placing a hand on her back and smiling ear to ear. The whole gang's here at last — a japanese bubble of excitement and her not so excited but equally japanese side-kick, an idol turned actress, a determined director and her very unique actress girlfriend and… Jeongyeon. 

(It’s hard to label Jeongyeon. Mostly because Tzuyu has so much to say it just feels like she ends up saying nothing.)

“What are we chatting so much about?” she asks. “We got a final scene to film, buttheads.”

“Just making sure everyone’s ready,” Nayeon nods. “Jeongyeon, did you put on chapstick? You’re going to need it after all that _kissing_ —”

Jeongyeon presses her lips together. “I’m gonna fucking _stab_ you—”

Jihyo butts in before heads start rolling.

“Okay, that’s enough you two. Jeongyeon and Tzuyu need to be kissing like, yesterday.”

Tzuyu blushes, but still listens. Sana squeals even as they walk away and it makes her feel less alone because it means that at least someone else in the room is also feeling the butterflies. They step into the scene, the usual one, where basically everything started. The kitchen.

Jeongyeon catches her eye, and smiles reassuringly. You know, she has the type of smile that makes you feel safe and encouraged. Or maybe that’s just what she makes Tzuyu feel in general, really.

In the blink of an eye, as the cameramen announce they are filming, Tzuyu watches Jeongyeon become Jooyoung. There are slight differences, even if they are very similar. Jooyoung is more confident in a lot of ways. Jeongyeon is smug only when she wants to tease and crack jokes — and Jooyoung stands straighter and is way less awkward, and Jeongyeon is a bit more careful with her touches, more tentative.

They are both kind, but Jooyoung is clumsily kind, like she’s not sure how to be. Jeongyeon’s kindness comes naturally to her, like it’s in her very core. Tzuyu likes that. She likes that she’s kind, and friendly, and that she loves animals and she _really_ needs to focus on this scene before she forgets the script.

The scene is set after the fiasco that was Jinsol’s love confession, not only a fiasco in the rehearsal (which was when Tzuyu made the awful mistake of saying Jeongyeon’s name instead of her character’s) but in the script too. After Jinsol confessed her love for Jooyoung, the chef hadn’t even replied, and Jinsol had ran away, heartbroken. 

It’s a crucial part, really. The villain of the drama is defeated at this point, she’s about to graduate culinary school and she and Jooyoung have plans to open a restaurant together until she ruins it all with a confession.

The silence in the kitchen is defeating. Jinsol is never quiet, which just goes to show how upset she really is. Her and Tzuyu are very different, too.

“Jinsol-ah...” Jooyoung starts. Jinsol flinches.

“Don’t,” she says. “If you’re going to reject me, I don’t want to hear it. Please spare me.” 

“Don’t leave,” Jooyoung begs instead. “Please.”

“How can I stay after something like this?” Jinsol asks, closing her eyes. “I’ve screwed everything up.”

“You didn’t— God,” the chef groans. “You didn’t ruin anything, Jinsol.”

“How can you say that? I told you I loved you. My feelings are wrong and unrequited and hurtful...”

“Jinsol,” she says. “Stop.”

Jinsol stops. Old habits die hard.

“I mean...” Jooyoung is clearly struggling to express her emotions right now. But she’s making an effort just for Jinsol, which warms her heart. “Don’t leave. Don’t leave _me_.”

Jinsol frowns slightly, “What?”

“Jinsol, I—” she groans, frustrated. In the blink of an eye, Jeongyeo— Jooyoung’s hands clasp Tzu— _Jinsol_ ’s face, impossibly sweet, borderline desperate. Jooyoung is not good at expressing her feelings (Tzuyu supposes that’s another thing she and Jeongyeon have in common), this is a turning point for her, for Jinsol, for _everything_.

“I’m sorry, Jinsol-ah,” she says, almost like the words physically pain her. “I’m sorry for not letting you know I love you, too.”

Someone in the studio gasps. She thinks it might be Sana.

“You… you love me?”

“Yes,” she laughs, as if in disbelief at her own confession. “I was too scared to let you know when you confessed, and I’m sorry, Jinsol. I don’t know how, but you’ve entered my heart and made a home here, and I can’t let you move out of it yet. Not before I told you I love you too.”

At its core, this really is what the whole story is all about. Jinsol is fire, Jooyoung is ice, and Jinsol is the only one who could’ve ever possibly melted Jooyoung’s heart. Jinsol breaks into a smile, that Tzuyu hopes conveys everything she wants it to. How much she’s yearned to hear those words, how much she loves her Unnie, too.

“I love you too, Unnie,” she says. “From the moment we became friends, I knew I loved you.”

Jooyoung and Jinsol lock eyes. Tzuyu and Jeongyeon lock eyes.The look they share between them feels charged with something that transcends the characters, the scene. Tzuyu swallows, although it’s not in the script.

“Unnie...” she murmurs, her breath hitting Jeongyeon’s cheek. Thinks this might be something Jinsol would do; maybe Tzuyu would, too. She plants a kiss on her cheek, near the corner of her lip, and craves, deep inside of herself.

Jooyoung — because this is Jooyoung, not Jeongyeon, and she doesn’t understand why she needs to keep reminding this to herself — closes her eyes and then opens them just to stare at Jinsol’s lips. She doesn’t close the distance, she just stares, as if savoring the moment. Jinsol plants another kiss to her cheek, this time touching the corner of her lips, and everything is so agonizingly _slow._

It’s not in the script, but Jeongyeon whispers, “I really do love you.”

Jinsol’s an awfully impatient person, and Tzuyu finds out she is too when she closes the gap between them and clumsily kisses her co-star. The culmination of a relationship one year in the works.

When she closes her eyes, when her lips are kissing someone else’s — it’s not Jooyoung, it’s _Jeongyeon_ who she thinks of. Jeongyeon, who is wearing a chef’s hat because she’s acting but it’s still funny and the thought makes her smile into the kiss. Jeongyeon probably doesn’t know what she’s smiling about, but she smiles into the kiss too anyway. Then Tzuyu’s mind wanders off and thinks of how soft Jeongyeon’s lips are, of how terribly caring and sweet this kiss is, of how she feels so safe she forgets anyone else is even there and she melts and melts and melts. Jeongyeon’s hands fall to Tzuyu’s lower back and tighten, and they feel like home.

Jeongyeon tastes like the chapstick she made sure to put on; a hint of strawberry, not overly floral or perfume-y, just the right amount of fruity. Jeongyeon pulls her closer, Tzuyu’s hands tangle on Jeongyeon’s hair, also searching for closeness. Tzuyu’s looking for something that she doesn’t fully understand, something burning deep inside of her that won’t stop roaring.

She remembers how nervous she’d felt just an hour ago, about being bad at kissing and having it broadcasted everywhere, but now she just feels silly. This feels like the most natural thing in the world, to be held like this, kissed like this. A shiver runs down her spine. 

It’s Tzuyu who deepens the kiss because of course Jeongyeon won’t do anything unless she’s sure Tzuyu wants it too — she parts open her mouth with bravery she didn’t know she had, and barely stops the groan that threatens to come out of her when Jeongyeon is kissing back.

Then Jihyo is yelling _Cut!_ and it’s over. 

Except it’s not because someone has to yell out the word almost three more times before Tzuyu realizes the scene is supposed to be over and her and Jeongyeon are still sucking at each other’s faces. Jeongyeon breaks the kiss and Tzuyu almost whines, for God’s sake.

When she opens her eyes, Jeongyeon is blushing from head to toe again, and she’s so embarrassed she can barely look at the floor without feeling— feeling stuff she can’t understand.

The whole crew is clapping.

“We should film that again,” Sana suggests.

Tzuyu spends the majority of the ride to Busan sleeping, which is how she spends most of her time when she’s not working because she barely has any time for it anyway. The first hour she stares out the window, then the first half of the second one she scrolls lazily through her instagram feed, her fake eyelashes heavy on her eyelids, and by the third hour she knocks out until her manager is shaking her awake in front of a hotel.

The press conference is held at the Four Seasons hotel, where they’ve set up this gigantic room in the back because apparently so many people want to show up they barely fit in the salon. 

She’s really, really happy for this event. She’s excited to see everyone from the show away; it’s been a week since their final day of work, and except for a small promotional lunch she hasn’t seen them since. And the past week has been just… the _worst._ She could barely focus, her managers were constantly telling her off because of how lost in her thoughts she’s been. Instead, all she can really think of is Jeongyeon coming out to her, and the kiss they shared. She’s scared of what that can all mean, so Tzuyu pushes it to the back of her mind and forces herself to ignore it

Tzuyu lazily gets out of the car, then remembers her fansites are showing up to this whole thing and she’s snoring in front of them. She straightens, smiles and waves for a bit as her manager fixes her flared pants — she’s wearing pantsuits and a blouse today because it’s cold as _balls_ outside — and then she heads inside.

She’s dragged by her manager to the pre-conference room, where she finds Sana in a pink dress and Momo in a long skirt and top, eating the appetizers away. Sana spots her almost immediately, and she, of course, squeals in excitement and practically runs to her when she sees her. 

“Tzuyu-ah!” she says, burying her face in Tzuyu’s shoulder. “I had almost forgotten how tall you are.”

Tzuyu purses her lips at the slight jab, but is amused nonetheless. 

“Hi, Sana.”

Momo is next to hug her (she practically has to pry Sana away). 

“We missed our _tall_ tall co-star,” she explains, embracing her tightly.

“I’ve missed you guys too,” she smiles. Momo steps away, and Tzuyu gives them an appreciative once over. “You both look really beautiful.”

“Oh,” Sana dismisses, although she starts playing with her hair. “We’re no competition to you… but please tell me more.”

“What have you been up to this week?” Momo asks, placing a hand on her arm. 

“Just group stuff,” Tzuyu shrugs, mostly because she can’t say much of anything yet. Momo raises an eyebrow and Tzuyu gives in. “We might or might not be making a comeback really soon...”

“God, finally,” Sana says. “I’ve missed your groups’ music so much. I still listen to Cheer Up everyday.”

“That makes sense,” Tzuyu hums, because it does.

“Do you think you could ever introduce me to Dahyun?” Sana adds, a glint in her eyes she can’t quite place. “I think we might get along really well. She’s _sooo_ pretty—”

Momo rolls her eyes. “Here we go.”

“I just think she’s pretty!”

“She wants to eat your friend for dinner,” Momo shakes her head. “Do not introduce them.”

“You’re so mean—”

“Oh my God! Tzuyu’s here!” she hears, then she sees Jihyo sprinting from across the room with six inch high heels and Tzuyu worries she might break her neck in the process.

“Unnie,” she greets, grinning. Jihyo grabs her by her shoulders and hugs her and it feels like she’s hugging her long lost mother. She catches sight of Nayeon trailing behind her as well, smiling softly, which is always nice to see. “It’s so strange not seeing you every day now, I miss your face so much!”

“Let’s stop before the waterfalls start coming out,” Nayeon stops her. “She’s been emotional all day. How are you, Chou?” Nayeon’s wearing a red dress that makes her look borderline deadly, while Jihyo wears a tailored pantsuit and pearl earrings. 

“I’m good,” she nods, smiling slightly as Jihyo pulls away from the hug.

“You look like you just took the best nap of your life,” Nayeon teases lightly. “Knowing you, that’s probably the case.”

“Is my make up ruined?” Tzuyu says, worriedly taking out her phone to check herself on camera.

“Nayeon’s just messing with you,” Sana reassures her. “You look great, honey.”

“Yeah,” Momo nods. “Jeongyeon’s gonna pass out when she sees you”

Sana elbows Momo sharply, and Tzuyu pretends not to notice it. 

“Where did Jeongyeon go, anyway?” Jihyo wonders aloud, searching the room for the woman she calls ‘tower number two’. “She was just here.”

Tzuyu’s stomach does something funny at the mention of Jeongyeon, and she tells herself she’s just nervous about the press conference. Of course they’ve been texting every day, but it’s not the same thing as seeing each other in person. _This is so stupid._ They haven’t seen each other in like a week, when did she become so clingy? 

“The moment Tzuyu shows up she’s gone,” Sana sighs, shaking her head. “She’s been talking about how much she misses you all week and now she’s not even here.”

“Missing me?” Tzuyu’s heart all but jumps out of her ribcage.

Sana’s eyes go wide for a second, then she stammers, “We— we all have, o-of course.”

“Some more than others,” Nayeon adds, just low enough that Tzuyu can faintly hear it.

Before Tzuyu can even start to unpack all of that, she finally catches sight of Jeongyeon on the other side of the room. She’s staring, with that intense look that Tzuyu can never quite decipher, and her hair’s slicked back and she’s wearing a black dress with long sleeves, and she’s breathtakingly attractive. Tzuyu thinks, _I kissed this woman_.

Jeongyeon makes her way through the crowd, and then she’s in front of her and she doesn’t close the distance. She just stares at her, smiling awkwardly but also looking excited and anxious. There’s this constant weight of confusion that followed her around that just leaves her when she sees her, like, _hey, you’re okay now. You can stop wondering_. She feels relieved.

“Hi,” says Jeongyeon. She’s not even halfway done speaking when Tzuyu hugs her like her life depends on it.

“Hey,” Tzuyu breathes into the embrace.

Jeongyeon wraps her arms around her waist, and it makes her think about the kiss yet again. When she closes her eyes she thinks of strawberry chapstick and Jeongyeon’s lips on hers and she bites her lip to keep herself from blushing.

“It was just a week,” Jeongyeon teases.

“It was a really long week,” Tzuyu replies.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tzuyu sees Nayeon roll her eyes while grinning. “God, you’re both so melodramatic.”

Sana and Jihyo both elbow her and she groans in pain. “Shush,” Sana chastises. “Don’t interrupt.”

“I’m getting drunk,” Momo announces, done with this reunion already.

Tzuyu doesn’t pay a lot of attention to them anyway. Realistically, she knows they have to break up the hug, but also, she _really_ missed her emotional support co-star. It’s been approximately five days. It might as well be an eternity.

“You look...wow,” Jeongyeon says when they do break up the hug, and Tzuyu can’t stop the blush at that. 

“Thank you,” she says, genuinely. “I hope that’s a good kind of wow.”

“Oh, the best kind of wow,” Jeongyeon grins. “Like, I’m-the-Nation’s-Girlfriend’s-first-kiss kind of wow.”

Tzuyu blushes up to her neck. “Shut up.”

“I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry,” she says, wrapping an arm around Tzuyu’s shoulders and pulling her close again. Tzuyu lets her, although she does push her slightly for teasing her so much. “After all, it was my first kiss too.”

Jihyo frowns. “What are you two even talking about?”

“Tall people stuff,” Jeongyeon says. “You wouldn’t understand.”

If looks could kill, Jeongyeon would be bleeding out in the middle of the room. Tzuyu laughs and stops immediately.

“I will _murder_ you.”

“Let’s go down tequila shots before we have to answer stupid questions,” Nayeon suggests, grabbing Jihyo by her sleeve and pulling her to the mini bar while she still glares at her best friend.

“She’s so scary sometimes,” Tzuyu comments.

“5’3 of pure Aquarius rage,” Jeongyeon nods. “She used to beat up kids in middle school who looked at her even remotely funny.”

Tzuyu can totally picture 4’11 Jihyo drop kicking bullies in the middle of the school’s cafeteria like a little karate kid while little Jeong and Nayeon cheer for her.

“You look amazing too, by the way,” she adds when she notices that she forgot to compliment her. Jeongyeon smiles, impossibly smug.

Sana nods. “You do! No matching outfits this time, though.”

“Sana,” Jeongyeon raises an eyebrow at the shorter girl. “We can’t wear matching outfits everywhere.”

“Says who?” Huffs Sana. “Matching outfits between couples are always cute.”

“Right,” Jeongyeon says. “We are not an actual couple, you know that, right?”

Sana hums in acknowledgement, pressing her lips together and looking like she is not convinced in the slightest.

“I’m gonna go look for Momo,” she announces, and slips away.

Jeongyeon looks confused and very embarrassed. She turns to Tzuyu. “I really don’t know what she blabbers on about 90% of the time.”

“That’s why she and Momo get along so well,” she nods. 

Jeongyeon hums in agreement. “And Jihyo and Nayeon get along so well because they are both scary, and because Jihyo makes really good kimchi and Nayeon can’t cook for shit.” She says, then clicks her tongue. “Why do _we_ get along, Tzuyu?”

She’s totally fishing for compliments. “Because you have an animal shelter,” she says, not giving her the satisfaction. “And because we’re both tall.”

Jeongyeon nods. “And you forgot to mention my amazing kissing skills.”

Oh God. Jeongyeon’s never going to let her live this down, she’s going to tease her about the stupid kiss her entire life like she wasn’t an awkward mess too. She blushes again, and when she tries to speak she starts stuttering, which just makes Jeongyeon laugh. She’s terrible and Tzuyu hates her.

“I hate you,” Tzuyu says, “It wasn’t that good of a kiss anyway.”

“What?” Jeongyeon gasps. “You awful liar.”

Tzuyu shrugs, biting back a grin because she knew she was gonna fall for the bait. “It was meh.”

(It was most definitely not meh.)

“Chou Tzuyu, you take that back _right now_ ,” Jeongyeon demands. “Right this second. Say you’re sorry.”

“For telling the truth?” Tzuyu teases, yanking herself away from Jeongyeon’s arms and sticking out her tongue.

“I gave you a meh first kiss? That’s the worst thing you could ever say to someone, Tzuyu. You can’t possibly wound my pride like this.”

Tzuyu can’t stop the snort that comes out of her. “I just did.”

“Do you take pleasure in hurting others?” Jeongyeon asks, hand on her chest. Tzuyu missed messing with her _so bad_ ; texting is really not the same. “Do you like to see people suffer?”

“Yes,” she says.

“You know what? That makes sense.”

Tzuyu does hit her then.

Her manager walks up to her then and says, “Tzuyu-ah, the conference starts in ten. They’ll guide you to your seats really soon, so be prepared.”

She nods and thanks her, starting to fix herself with her front camera. Then Jeongyeon starts nodding frantically. The shift in the atmosphere is felt almost immediately — Jeongyeon starts… well, Jeongyeon-ing.

“Oh, cool,” she starts, then doesn’t stop. “How many people do you think will be there?”

Tzuyu puts down her phone and rests a hand on her chin. “Hum… I think maybe a thousand?” she figures, since her manager told her it was pretty packed.

“Holy...” Jeongyeon whistles. “That’s a lot of people.”

Tzuyu’s played for venues of over thirty thousand people, so she’s not overly nervous today. She’s rehearsed what she wants to say and practiced with Mina some possible questions she might receive. She’s not _not_ nervous, she just isn't’ freaking out.

Jeongyeon on the other hand…

“I’ve never done a press conference for so many people,” she says, and oh no, the foot tapping has already begun. “It’s like, twice the number of people I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

“Jeong,” Tzuyu calls, but Jeongyeon ignores her.

“And they are going to ask us some pretty difficult questions, like, why did you decide to participate in a drama with this storyline? and I can’t just come out in the middle of a press conference, and my hair might look oily in some of the pictures because my hairstylist used this new product—”

“ _Jeongyeon_.”

“Yes?” she asks, breathing heavily.

Tzuyu places her hands on both sides of her face, and Jeongyeon is momentarily stunned into silence. Jeongyeon’s panicked brown eyes stare right into Tzuyu’s own, and the feet tapping stops entirely. An old trick she used on Dahyun when she had panic attacks when they were trainees.

“Calm down,” Tzuyu says. Then she starts breathing in and out, until Jeongyeon finally takes the hint and she joins her in breathing too. Once Jeongyeon looks visibly calmer, Tzuyu nods. “You got this.”

“Do I?”

“Of course you do,” Tzuyu tells her, still holding her face between her hands. “You’re Yoo Jeongyeon and you’re the bravest person I know.”

“I don’t know about that...”

“You are,” Tzuyu reassures her. “You tipped the media about the show. You’re reckless as _balls_ most of the time. You totally got this press conference, okay? You’ll win them over in no time.”

Jeongyeon swallows, nodding. “O-okay. Okay.” After a few seconds Tzuyu realizes how weird this whole thing must look and she steps away. She doesn’t feel sorry, though. Tzuyu tugs at her hand and holds it.

“You’re charismatic, people will love you,” she tells her. “You’re funny and you’re captivating.”

“You forgot to say I’m an amazing kisser,” Jeongyeon adds, and just like that Tzuyu knows she’s back.

“Yeah, okay,” she rolls her eyes. “That too.”

Jeongyeon smiles and tightens her grip on her hand, takes a deep breath. She says, while they are pulling them to the stage, “Thanks, Tzu.”

“Anytime,” she smiles.

The moderator shows them their chairs, which are all named. Jihyo is seated next to him and Nayeon next to her girlfriend. Next to Nayeon, right on the center is Tzuyu’s chair, and next to hers is Jeongyeon’s. Momo and Sana are next to her, in that order. When Tzuyu and Jeongyeon walk in hand in hand, she hears a bunch of cheers.

She spots a few of her fansites and waves at them. She notices a couple of them are missing, and before she can start panicking on the reason why, she notices there are new ones, too. Instead, Tzuyu turns to Jeongyeon next to her, who is beaming with that smile that looks so big Tzuyu wonders if it makes her cheeks hurt, and she instantly feels better.

The moderator starts right away. He asks everyone to introduce themselves at first — Jihyo says a very enthusiastic hello and her name, Nayeon waves and she hears a lot of female cheers from the audience. 

“Hi, I’m Tzuyu,” she greets. “I hope you have fun and that I can answer all of your questions.”

Plenty of cheers, and she hears a lot of female ones, which she’s not used to at all. She looks surprised for a second, then she grins.

Jeongyeon is next, and practically every woman in the room swoons. Tzuyu knows that her ego just grew like, thirteen times bigger. Sana and Momo do a very cute joint introduction, and they play off the fact that they are a duo very well.

The Q&A portion of the press conference starts after a few questions from the moderator about the filming process and the director’s view. There’s a microphone in the first row where the audience will be able to ask the questions, and Tzuyu knows that the company first reviewed the questions before accepting them, but Tzuyu still feels nervous. 

The first question from the audience is for Jihyo. 

“You’ve said you picked the actresses before even filming the show. Why did you choose Chou Tzuyu and Yoo Jeongyeon for the main roles?”

Jihyo beams. “That’s a good question! Uhm, well, I’ve known Jeongyeon for a long time. We used to go to High School together along with Nayeon, and we’re very good friends, so when I wrote Jooyoung it was her who I envisioned. Their personalities are similar in lots of ways, but also really different so it would’ve been a challenging role for her, but I’m a fan of her acting and I knew she could pull it off.”

The moderator interrupts, “you went to school with both Nayeon and Jeongyeon?”

“Yes!” Jihyo giggles, as do Nayeon and Jeongyeon. “We got into lots of trouble, but that’s another story entirely. As for Tzuyu… well, I’ve always had her in mind when writing the character. Not personality wise, I think. Tzuyu and Jinsol are very different. But I thought she could relate to some of her struggles really well, from interviews I’ve read and such.”

“Really?” the moderator asks. “Tzuyu, could you tell us a bit more?”

“Ah...” she starts, clearing her throat. “I think Jinsol’s worked really hard to get to where she is. She had to become a fighter, without knowing if she stood a chance. When I came from Taiwan, I felt like that a lot. Jihyo Unnie made the script very emotional and I felt like I was Jinsol, even if we’re not similar in personality.”

Jihyo nods. “And Tzuyu is a wonderful actress and a joy to work with.”

Tzuyu blushes. She leans into the mic shyly and says, “Thank you.”

The audience giggles at her shyness, then they move on to another question. The second one is about how Sana’s accent is almost unrecognizable, and she blushes. The other is about how Jeongyeon memorizes her lines, and the fourth about how Nayeon gets in character to play a villain, and Jeongyeon slips in a ‘she doesn’t even have to act’, which earns her a slap behind the head that Tzuyu has to duck.

One question though, is the one she was dreading the most.

“Tzuyu,” the person asks. “Are you worried about the feelings of your fans after seeing you in a drama like this?”

Tzuyu nods carefully, choosing her words with care. “I’m worried about the feelings of my fans all the time,” she explains. “I love them a lot, and I never want to make them feel bad or hurt, so I meditated a lot on whether I should participate or not. This drama is something I wanted to do and I hope they can enjoy it and love it as much as I do. Please enjoy it a lot.”

Without warning, Jeongyeon jumps in. “Tzuyu has been extra careful about everything she does because she loves her fans so much, and her working in this drama does not change that in the slightest. She’s always thinking about them, even on set.”

Under the table, Jeongyeon squeezes her thigh. If it were anyone else, Tzuyu would have been surprised, but instead a sense of calm washes over her.

“How did you react when you heard who your co-stars were?” one person asks.

“Oh! I was so excited to work with Nayeon again,” Sana replies. “We’ve all worked together in Rising Sun. Nayeon was a secondary character, while I was a main character, and Momo made a few appearances. Jihyo worked as a writer there as well, and we all knew Jeongyeon from other jobs.”

“Yes,” Momo nods. “In truth, the real mystery was Tzuyu.”

“We all knew of her one day or another,” Nayeon continues. “But we had never seen her act, except for that one SNL episode she did, but other than that, we hadn’t seen her perform in this sort of environment.”

“I was really nervous,” confesses Tzuyu. She decides to omit the part where she and Jeongyeon hated each other’s guts for the sake of formality. “Jeongyeon is a highly awarded actress, so being in the same drama as her was intimidating. And I loved Rising Sun, so I was really nervous.”

“I have to butt in here; Jeongyeon,” the moderator calls. “I’ve been told you’re actually a huge fan of Tzuyu, since before the drama even.”

Now at this, Jeongyeon blushes _deep_ red. “Ah… yes, I am.”

Tzuyu’s eyes widen. “Really?” she can’t help but ask.

“Oh, she’s a huge fan,” Nayeon says into the mic. “She's an Once! She has all of Twice's albums and she wouldn’t stop talking about the group and playing their songs all the time.”

Jihyo laughs. “Yes! And her bias was Tzuyu, of course.”

Tzuyu feels like she just stepped into an alternate reality. Are they messing with her?

“Yeah, actually,” Jeongyeon giggles nervously, scratching the back of her neck. “I was a huge fangirl. Well, I still am. I have photocards and everything, so when I met Tzuyu I was completely thrown off balance. I was really awkward and Tzuyu must’ve felt bad because I probably made her feel strange, but I was really starstruck.”

The moderator laughs. “I can imagine!”

“When we first met, she was helping her manager carry some documents,” Jeongyeon begins. “Both her hands were busy, so she couldn’t call for the elevator, and I was in it, so she asked me to hold it open, but I just froze because I couldn’t believe it was really her. She was even more beautiful in person, so I panicked so bad I didn’t even hold the door open.”

“Oh no,” he giggles, as the crowd coos and giggles as well.

“And I was always so flustered around her I tried to run away all the time,” she cringes at herself. “I avoided her. It was stupid of me, because then we became really good friends. But I was really awkward, and I think I came off as rude.”

What the… what the _fuck._

“I didn’t know...” Tzuyu says, a bit breathless.

“Yeah, well,” Jeongyeon shrugs, and Tzuyu can hear her heartbeat in her own ears. What the hell. All that time she spent thinking Jeongyeon was rude and mean and that she hated her, it was because she was _awkward_ . She was awkward because Tzuyu was her celebrity crush. _Oh my God_. Tzuyu is definitely not equipped to handle this information in front of a crowd of approximately a thousand people. She’ll have to deal with this in her Hotel room.

Fuck. She shares her Hotel room with Jeongyeon. _Fuuuuuck._

After a couple of questions more, the moderator announces the press conference is over and the cast is guided to some individual interviews backstage. Tzuyu gets separated from Jeongyeon along the way, and she feels equal parts grateful and sad about it.

The interviews aren’t very long thankfully, just some standard questions. When they are done, the cast is ushered back into the room they were before the press conference. Tzuyu hears the sound of a champagne bottle being opened the second she steps into the room.

It’s all the work of Jihyo, who’s holding the bottle like it’s an award and looks so happy she could cry.

“That was a huge success!” she exclaims. “I can’t believe that went so well, I was shaking before we got on stage.”

“It did,” Nayeon smiles, then places a hand on Jihyo’s shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.”

They share one of those looks that make Tzuyu want to look away just to give them a little privacy. It’s like they are in their own world.

Sana and Momo are downing shots in the corner, laughing about something with Jeongyeon. Tzuyu almost joins them but thinks better of it — she’s not sure tonight’s the best night to get drunk, not after what had just happened. She thinks she might say something stupid. She does walk up to them though, anxious for a distraction.

“Need a drink?” Momo says, holding out a shot.

“No, thank you,” she declines. “Just wanted to talk to you guys.”

 _Because I’m confused_ , she thinks. _I’m so, so confused,_ and she realizes it’s not only about the new information. Her mind has been restless as of lately, and every string of thought she has keeps wandering off to that kiss… Tzuyu’s scared of what it could all mean.

She glances at the bottle of tequila on the bar. It doesn’t seem that bad of an idea anymore.

“We did good, didn’t we?” Jeongyeon wonders aloud.

“Yes, we killed it,” Sana nods. “That’s why we’re celebrating. That, and because Cooking with the Enemy holds the highest ratings of the month of October in all of South Korean TV.”

“You’re joking,” Jihyo says, suddenly appearing behind Sana and snatching her phone off her hand.

“Look at that first tweet.”

“Oh my fucking God,” Jihyo breathes. “Holy fuck. Nayeon! Nayeon come here— !”

Nayeon’s so quickly by her side that it’s like she spawned next to her in a video game. “What?”

“We— holy shit, Nayeon, we did it.”

Now, Jihyo does actually start crying.

Okay, maybe tonight’s not the best time to start interrogating them about Jeongyeon being a fan of Tzuyu or for her to spiral into an inner crisis about her sexuality while Sana pulls everyone into a tight hug. 

(Tzuyu gets teary eyed, too.)

It’s three hours later, and after three beers and two shots, Tzuyu is ready to sleep for a lifetime. She’d promised herself not to drink tonight, but she was getting anxious and restless about that thing that’s been bothering ever since the kiss. The big G word. (Gay. The big G word is Gay). Sana starts trying to convince people to do body shots with her and Tzuyu realizes she needs to get her ass out of there before someone starts putting salt and lime on her belly button. 

Nayeon and Jihyo have slipped away an hour ago, giggling to themselves and planting what they think are discreet kisses to each other’s necks. Momo and Jeongyeon are in the bar with Sana and Tzuyu, laughing about whatever their drunken minds came up with.

Before Sana can start cutting limes, Tzuyu shakes her head and stands up.

“I’m going to bed,” she announces.

“Alread _yyyy_?” Sana whines. “It’s only four AM.”

“Only?” Momo asks, yawning.

“I’m so sleepy I could pass out right here,” Tzuyu says. 

Sana drunkenly gestures around the room. There’s only them left; her manager’s passed out on some chair and the rest of the people left around the one AM mark, except for a few crew members. “Then do it!”

“But I realized my luxurious hotel room with feather pillows is waiting for me, so I’ll pass, thank you.”

“You are no fun,” Sana pouts.

“I can live with that,” she says, yawning too.

“I’ll join you too,” Jeongyeon says, standing up as well. She wobbles a bit. Tzuyu had almost forgotten they booked a room together (damn you, past Tzuyu, and damn Jeongyeon for being… for being Jeongyeon).

“I’ll get Sana to our room later too, don’t worry,” Momo assures them. “We’ll be in bed by six AM. Although it’s one of those nights where I think we might end up crashing a flash mob, like that time we went to Jeju with that mime...”

Tzuyu hears Sana gasp even when she’s out the door. “We should _totally_ crash a flash mob tonight.”

Tzuyu and Jeongyeon make their way to the elevator, Tzuyu’s eyelids heavy. She yawns, and Jeongyeon snorts at the sight. Jeongyeon got to the hotel first, so she has the keycard, so Tzuyu can place her head on the wall and snore a bit.

“You really are sleepy,” she comments, amused.

“I never stay up so late,” she says, then frowns. “That’s a lie. _You_ keep me up at night.” Jeongyeon looks momentarily frozen in place, and Tzuyu realizes how what she said actually sounds — which she’s mortified to realize it isn’t even a lie. She blushes. “I - I mean that we always text until late...”

Jeong clears her throat. “Not my fault. Nayeon falls asleep at like, 5 AM every day because she’s an owl, and she always texts me in the middle of the night and wakes me up.”

“So you wake me up too?”

“I don’t like suffering on my own,” Jeongyeon states, making Tzuyu drunkenly giggle.

“Hmm...” she hums, content. At least when drunk her thoughts don’t bother her as much. It’s still on the back of her mind pestering her, but she can ignore it until tomorrow when Hangover and regret slaps her in the face. “I don’t mind staying up late anymore. But I am very sleepy right now.”

“You’ll be sleeping in this fancy ass hotel, you’ll sleep like a rock,” Jeong says, resting the back of her on the elevator wall, then wincing at the cold metal. 

“Did you book that room with the faux feather duvét?” she asks.

“What the fuck is a faux feather duvét? You just spoke in a whole different language.”

Tzuyu snorts. “Shut up. Did you?”

“I booked the one with the pretty view and the two king sized beds that had the kitten blankets,” she says.

Tzuyu hums happily, and reaches for Jeongyeon’s hand to squeeze it in gratitude. She finds it, and her heart does something funny. “That’s the one I meant.”

The elevator comes to a stop then — Tzuyu can remember when she pressed the button to their floor, but she doesn’t complain. Jeongyeon guides her through the hallway to their room, takes out the keycard (which was hidden in her bra in a total mom move) and she unlocks the door.

The room is a suite. There’s a white couch and a TV, and the walls are painted a lovely shade of like, egg white or some other fancy paint name. Tzuyu’s so happy she can finally sleep that she just falls face first into the first comfortable surface she sees in front of her, which happens to be the bed. Then, she looks around the room and frowns.

“... There’s only one bed.”

Jeongyeon’s frozen by the door. 

“... Yes.”

“Where’s yours?” Tzuyu asks, suddenly very tense and very, _very_ sober.

“They probably mixed our rooms for someone else’s,” she responds, then points at the nightstand, where there’s a box of chocolates, champagne, roses and candles. And… a box of — Oh. Oh, _no._

“Ah...” she trails off, suddenly very red. “That is— That is definitely not ours.”

Jeongyeon pointedly ignores that. “I don’t even like champagne.”

“You’re kidding,” Tzuyu says in disbelief, sitting down on the bed just to stare at her friend. 

“It’s too fancy, I like beer too much,” she shrugs, throwing her purse on the couch. Despite speaking so casually, Tzuyu sees Jeongyeon standing unusually tense; her shoulders are rigid and her entire body language is stiff. They are both Tzuyu-ing so bad that if she closes her eyes she can almost hear Nayeon’s cackle from some other room in the Hotel.

Tzuyu and Jeongyeon’s eyes cross paths and Jeongyeon looks away first. Tzuyu suddenly starts worrying about how her makeup looks, if her hair’s disheveled after all the drinking, if she looks sweaty, and then wants to huff at herself. Why did she suddenly start caring about her appearance so much?

Jeongyeon swallows. “I could go to the reception, see if they can give us our room back.”

“I doubt anyone’s even there,” Tzuyu comments, biting her lip. “It’s almost…” She pulls out her phone and unlocks it. “Four thirty AM.”

“Fuck,” Jeongyeon cusses, running a hand through her hair.

“What are we… what are we going to do?” Tzuyu asks.

“I don’t — I don’t really know,” Jeongyeon confesses, scratching her neck.

There’s a moment of silence. It’s just a minute long at most, yet it feels like it lasts a lifetime. Tzuyu thinks about turning on the TV just so she doesn’t have to stand the uncomfortable silence anymore.

Honestly, Tzuyu’s so tired she could fall asleep in her clothes in this very lovely queen sized couples bed just by herself if she wasn’t internaly having an inner freak out. Instead, she says, “I don’t have any pajamas.”

“You can borrow my stuff,” Jeongyeon says, nodding. “Did you not bring luggage?”

“No, I did,” she shakes her head. “My manager has it, and she fell asleep downstairs and I didn’t want to wake her...”

Jeongyeon chuckles a bit, looking a bit less tense. She points at the luggage next to the couch. “Well, I have some spare clothes. You can use them, I asked the Hotel staff to get it to our room before the presscon.”

 _Our_ room, her mind replays, over and over again. Tzuyu needs to get a grip.

Jeongyeon grabs the suitcase and pops it open. It is, of course, neatly organized and clean — her shirts are folded on one side, pants and bottoms on the other, and then there’s a small bag full of sanitary stuff. Jeongyeon packed for an entire week even though they’ll just be staying in the hotel for today.

“We can stick things we steal from the bathroom in here later,” she says, pulling out her toothbrush.

Tzuyu nods. “I want the soaps.”

“You bet we’re stealing _all_ the tiny soaps,” Jeongyeon agrees. She pulls out an oversized shirt that reads, ‘I HEART SEOUL’ and another one that has a horrifying picture of a minion and tosses it to Tzuyu, along with a pair of shorts. “I only have one pair of pajama shorts,” she says. “You can wear them; I’ll just wear my safety shorts that I already have on.” 

“Thank you,” Tzuyu says, genuinely. 

Then there’s another moment of that same uncomfortable and awkward silence, and Jeongyeon can’t stand it for very long because she says, “I’ll be in the bathroom.” And disappears into it.

That’s when Tzuyu starts properly Tzuyu-ing. Holy _fuck_ , what did she get herself into. Why did past Tzuyu ever think booking a hotel room together would be a good idea? A sleepover, Jeong had texted her. It would be fun, she said. This is not very fun at all! Tzuyu’s been drunk for three hours and she already needs an aspirin. Desperately.

She starts taking off her earring and jewelry and leaving it in the nightstand, blushing at the thought of wearing Jeongyeon’s clothes, even if it’s an old minion shirt. This all feels like a deleted scene from the very ridiculous k-drama her life has become.

“Don’t worry about the bed,” Tzuyu says, swallowing back her nerves. “I’ll sleep on the couch, it looks comfortable anyway...”

“No, forget it,” Jeongyeon exclaims from the bathroom. The door is slightly open, so Tzuyu hears the running water and when she looks, Jeongyeon’s started washing her hair on the sink. Tzuyu’s about to tell her that she could just shower instead, but Jeongyeon speaks first. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I volunteered first, you know,” she replies, kicking off her heels.

“And I said no,” Jeongyeon calls from the bathroom, still washing her hair. Tzuyu thinks about asking if she wants help — then she thinks about running her hands through her hair, which just reminds her of the kiss and a shiver goes down her spine. “So I’ll sleep on the couch instead.”

She hears when Jeongyeon turns the faucet off, and she sticks her head out of the bathroom with a towel on her head.

“Don’t even try to convince me,” says Jeongyeon, dabbing at her short black hair with the towel. “You’re a dancer and it could hurt your back.”

“Thank you for worrying, mother,” she snorts as Jeongyeon re-enters the bathroom. “But I’ll be fine for a night. You should sleep on the bed. _I’ll_ sleep on the couch.”

She hears the running water one more time, shorter this time. Now Jeongyeon comes out with a toothbrush inside her mouth; the towel still wrapped on her hair. 

“Neugh weigh, eigh’ll sleigh on the couegh— ”

“You know what,” Tzuyu interrupts, because she’s terribly sleepy and very drunk and more frustrated than anything. “Let’s just share the bed.”

They are adults and it’s just a stupid bed. This is ridiculous. The way Tzuyu’s heart starts beating a hundred miles per hour is also very, very ridiculous.

There’s another moment of that same heavy, uncomfortable silence where she hears Jeongyeon moving around in the bathroom for a bit, then she asks, “Are you sure? I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”

“I mind even less than you,” Tzuyu adds and Jeongyeon chuckles. “But yes, I’m sure. I don’t mind sharing. It’s just a bed.”

“Okay...” Jeongyeon says, slowly, as if taking it all in. It sounds more for herself than for Tzuyu. After a few minutes, she emerges from the bathroom with the ‘I HEART SEOUL’ shirt and no makeup on and goddammit she still looks beautiful without it and her heart skips a beat. “There are cheesy robes in the bathroom with initials on them.”

“Cool,” Tzuyu says, and all but runs to lock herself in the bathroom, minion shirt in hand.

Tzuyu locks the door and slides down to the floor for some well deserved ten seconds of freaking out. She takes a long, deep breath. The confusing feelings she’s been trying to avoid for a long time just come down crashing on her and being drunk makes this whole thing ten times harder than it should be. Past-Tzuyu is the _worst_.

She hurriedly wipes the makeup off her face, doesn't even bother with her hair and changes into the pajamas she borrowed from Jeongyeon — the shorts are light blue. She makes plans to shower tomorrow when she’s not drunk and there’s no risk of falling on the tub and getting a concussion. Actually, that doesn’t sound half bad right now.

She glances at the robes Jeongyeon mentioned. It’s just a reminder that this entire room is meant for people who are dating, and she feels a strange pang in her chest. 

When she steps out she finds Jeongyeon sitting on the bed, as if waiting for her. When Jeongyeon sees her she looks almost taken aback, like she can’t believe she’s actually there, wearing her clothes. Tzuyu swallows.

“Minions never looked hotter,” Jeongyeon comments as a joke, although she blushes when she realizes she’s been staring.

Tzuyu gives her a small smile. “Latest fashion trend.”

Another beat passes.

“So…” 

“Yeah…” Tzuyu clears her throat, thinking about the headache she’ll have tomorrow. “I’ll take the left side.”

Jeongyeon stands up, turns off the lights and quickly tucks herself to bed, Tzuyu following right after. She thinks about turning her back to Jeongyeon, but she doesn’t really want to. It’s all strange and awkward and uncomfortable, but she doesn’t want to look away. Instead, she catches Jeongyeon’s eye, even in the dark, and she feels butterflies again.

They don’t say anything, and it’s unbearable. Jeongyeon must also feel how awkward this is; the whole thing just reminds her of her first days on set when they didn’t like each other — or, correction, when she thought Jeongyeon didn’t like her — and it makes her feel sad.

Tzuyu thinks, _I really, really can’t screw this up_. No matter how horribly confusing this whole thing is, how her heart beats faster, how she longs for something she can’t bring herself to admit; Jeongyeon’s friendship matters the most. 

“... Why’s this the most awkward thing we’ve ever done?” Jeongyeon whispers, and Tzuyu starts laughing, tension leaving her shoulders. Jeongyeon laughs too, in disbelief at how silly this whole situation is. “Like, we literally kissed. How’s this more embarrassing than that?”

“We’re so stupid,” Tzuyu giggles into her pillow, relaxing a bit more. “We’re _sooo_ wasted right now.”

“God,” Jeong huffs. “I’m so drunk I thought the soap in the bathroom was white chocolate.”

“You did _not_ ,” Tzuyu gasps.

“Oh yes I did,” Jeong nods. “My shit will come out smelling like perfume.”

Tzuyu starts laughing again, until tears start prickling at the corners of her eyes. “You’re so gross… I’m so drunk you just made me hungry for chocolate M&Ms.”

“I’m glad my misfortune makes you hungry,” Jeongyeon sighs, yawning. “We’ll eat all those boxes of chocolates on your nightstand and then get chocolate M&Ms for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Who do you think this room was meant for?” she asks.

“A married old couple,” Jeongyeon thinks aloud. “Maybe a guy who cheats on his wife.”

“That’s so dark...” Tzuyu pouts. “But I think so too.”

“It’s way too cheesy,” Jeongyeon nods into her pillow. “It screams desperation.”

“We sound bitter,” Tzuyu comments, and Jeongyeon just replies with a snort. Tzuyu stares at the way her eyes shine even in the darkness. After a few seconds of silence, she calls her name. “Unnie, have you… have you ever been in love?”

Jeongyeon freezes for a second. She thinks about her answer, then nods. “Yes.”

“How did you know?”

“What?”

“That you loved them,” she clarifies.

“Haven’t you been in love?” Jeongyeon answers with a question of her own.

Tzuyu bites her lip. “I don’t really know. I’ve liked people and I’ve had crushes but… I don’t know. Nothing feels quite like what love is supposed to feel.”

“Love sucks ass,” Jeongyeon chuckles. Tzuyu feels sort of envious that she’s loved someone; sometimes she regrets becoming an Idol so young. It feels like she’s missed out on most things. 

“You’re so romantic,” Tzuyu teases.

“No, I’m serious, it hurts,” she says. “And you have to give your heart to this person and maybe they’ll completely shatter it and you think you’ll never love again, but maybe they _won’t_.”

Tzuyu waits for her to continue, but she doesn’t. “That’s it...? Just maybes?”

“Life is all about maybes,” Jeongyeon says, half teasing, half serious. 

“Drunk Jeongyeon is a philosopher, I can’t believe it.”

“You _asked,_ ” Jeongyeon laughs. Tzuyu giggles, closing her eyes. “You can’t complain now.”

“Yeah, yeah...” 

“Tzu,” Jeongyeon calls after a beat of silence, suddenly serious. “Love is different for everyone. Those maybes are worth it, you know? If you love that person. It can make everything worth it.”

Things feel heavier, somehow. “Okay,” she nods. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” her friend says back, then she closes her eyes. “We should sleep. We have chocolate to eat in the morning.”

Tzuyu hums, already sleepy as well. “Hmm. Do you think they’ll have M&Ms in a fancy place like this?”

“For what we’re paying for this room they better.”

Tzuyu giggles. She feels comfortable and warm and safe, as she always feels with Jeongyeon by her side. She doesn’t think twice about it when her arms reach for Jeongyeon, when they wrap themselves around her waist and bring her close. Jeongyeon is too sleepy or drunk to care too, and she buries her face on Tzuyu’s neck and hums, content. Her wet hair touches the skin of Tzuyu’s neck and she doesn’t even care.

“I can’t believe you’re making me be the big spoon,” Tzuyu says.

“I like to be held like a burrito.”

She’s so weird. She’s so, _so_ weird. Tzuyu keeps thinking about that stupid kiss.

“Hey,” Tzuyu whispers after a few minutes, heart stuck in the middle of her throat. “I… think I might like girls. I think I might fall in love with one, some day.”

Jeongyeon hums. Tzuyu figures she’s probably already asleep by now, but then Jeongyeon whispers back, “Thanks for telling me.”

Tzuyu lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding back and closes her eyes, wishing for sleep before her mind starts racing again and it leaves her for good. What Tzuyu doesn’t say is, I think I might love _you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just one more chapter left!!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dedicated to kai & jan bc without them this fic would've never happened  
> and to everyone who's read this and left a comment, to everyone who told me they loved this story on twitter, it means so much to me, and i keep all of u in mind while writing and i always hope u love it<3
> 
> belated happy new years everyone! i can't believe we're at the end already, im gonna get emotional... T-T  
> i know everyone thinks their beta reader is the best, but i really think i hit the jackpot cause she's the best. thanks so much to ten ([itotoro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itotoro/pseuds/itotoro)) for everything!  
> here is the song i listened to the most while writing, just in case you want to listen to it as you read.
> 
> [exist for love by AURORA](https://open.spotify.com/track/2DFo342cqI8tJHDmO0p052)
> 
> enjoy the last chapter of at face value!

“You’re fifteen minutes late,” is the first thing Jeongyeon tells her when she steps into the improvised red carpet the crew set outside. Tzuyu bites back a roll of her eyes because there’s cameras everywhere, but she  _ so _ would’ve elbowed Jeongyeon right then and there. Wasn’t this supposed to be a normal holiday gala…? Since when do those come with paparazzi?

“No one noticed,” Tzuyu says, lips curled into a smile. 

“I did,” Jeongyeon says, posing as well, wrapping an arm around Tzuyu’s waist for the cameras.

“You’re you,” Tzuyu says, like it’s enough explanation. The cameras flash, blinding Jeongyeon for a moment where she steadies herself on Tzuyu’s waist — she’s not as used to the glitz and glamour as Tzuyu is. Then she adds, “You’re Jeongyeon-ing. That’s when you notice and obsess over every small detail.”

“You can’t change the definition of Jeongyeon-ing,” she declares. “You didn’t even invent it.”

“I’d be sticking my tongue out if there weren’t cameras on us,” Tzuyu lets Jeongyeon know.

Tzuyu thinks Jeongyeon might retort with something similar but instead she just chuckles and turns to smile at Tzuyu in that way that makes it seem like her cheeks hurt. Tzuyu’s heart skips a beat and she’s been here for five minutes at most. World record.

“You’re wearing the earrings,” Jeongyeon notices out loud.

Tzuyu smiles from ear to ear, tucking her hair behind her ear so she can see them. “I told you I’d be, didn’t I?”

“You look beautiful,” Jeongyeon says genuinely, like she says everything. “You always do, but it never hurts to remind you. I have good taste in earrings.”

Tzuyu’s heart melts, her heart jumping content inside her ribcage. For some reason she’s reminded of their time in Busan not too long ago for the press conference, most specifically, their _ night _ in Busan. She remembers Jeongyeon blushing, bare faced, even more beautiful somehow, giggling under the covers and curling up beside her, smiling at her like she is just now. She’d seen a new side to Jeongyeon — or maybe not new, just… more her. Authentic. Jeongyeon is always honest, but she’s never quite as vulnerable.

It’s been a month since then. The show is finally done airing, and there are already rumors about award shows and nominations for next year. Tzuyu has somehow made peace with the fact that her feelings towards her co-star might not be entirely platonic. The morning after they woke up, Tzuyu had woken up with a headache and with Jeongyeon’s face buried on her chest. Tzuyu spent approximately ten minutes worrying that the beat of her rapid heart would wake Jeongyeon up, so after making sure she wouldn’t die of cardiac arrest, she had quietly left the room and pretended like last night didn’t happen when Jeongyeon came downstairs for breakfast at the buffet. Ignoring feelings has always been a good strategy for Tzuyu.

And they’ve been easy to ignore since they don’t spend every day together anymore — Tzuyu’s been busy with a scheduled comeback now that the drama is over, Jeongyeon’s gotten plenty of offers of characters to play, reading thousands of scripts and resting until her next big role. They’ve texted for these past few months, seen each other on most weekends because of final meetings about the show, but keeping busy was Tzuyu’s best cure for lovesickness. It was easy to not think about stuff when she was pushing herself on choreography, when she was in class, filming and recording until she’d pass out on her bed, too exhausted to think about Jeongyeon and whatever complicated feelings she might have for her.

For the past few months, whenever she saw Jeongyeon, Tzuyu made a promise to herself: she wouldn’t think about her cute smile, or her dorky laugh, or the way she’d make Tzuyu feel so warm no one would dare think it’s Winter. Most of the time it proved to be way more difficult than she’d thought it’d be. Now it’s New Years Eve, they are at KBS’s Holiday Gala, and Tzuyu plans to make good on her promise. Tzuyu even invited her band members to help distract her just in case she gets too… distracted by Jeongyeen. No matching outfits, no bed sharing, no escaping to the gardens in the middle of a party, no confusing talks about sexuality. Just a normal freaking Holiday Gala.

Tzuyu doesn’t realize she’s been staring at Jeongyeon until she meets her eye and Jeongyeon tilts her head to the side, slightly confused. Tzuyu blushes and stares back at the cameras, this time looking slightly more nervous. Jeongyeon doesn’t tease her for that.

“Where is TWICE?” one of the paparazzi asks, and Jeongyeon turns to Tzuyu for a second.

“You’ve lured your bandmates into this?” Jeongyeon asks, her mouth resting near Tzuyu’s ear. “Sana’s going to love this.”

Tzuyu ignores the chills. “Yeah, she did mention wanting to meet Dahyun… and Momo said she really likes her. A bit too much, maybe.”

Jeongyeon nods. “That’s accurate.”

“She’s really bold,” Tzuyu mentions. “I like that about Sana.”

“I do too,” Jeongyeon nods a bit, still smiling at the flashing lights. “Even if she’s really soft and friendly, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as bold as her. She’s really extroverted.”

“You are too,” Tzuyu says, then adds, “Well, not bold like Sana is, but… you know.”

Jeongyeon lifts an amused eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Tzuyu blushes, feeling stupid. This is exactly what she shouldn’t do. “You’re extroverted in your own way, I mean. And bold in different ways.”

“How so?” Jeongyeon’s lips curl into a grin, the kind that makes the corner of her lip lift slightly. She looks so smug… this woman gets one whiff of a compliment and holds onto it for dear life. 

Tzuyu bites back the urge to roll her eyes. “Just pose, Jeongyeon. I don’t want to hit you in front of all these cameras.”

Jeongyeon chuckles, loud and dorky, endearingly so. Some Paparazzi encourage her. “I’m excited to meet your bandmates.”

Tzuyu is reminded of the press conference, when Jeongyeon confessed she was a huge fan of Tzuyu’s Idol group TWICE, most specifically, of Tzuyu.  _ She has photocards _ , her own voice echoes inside her head. Tzuyu swallows. She hasn’t asked about it since for some reason, like it'll be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. She doesn’t ask now.

“They are excited to meet you too,” she nods. “They’ll be here after the red carpet’s over and the paparazzi leave, they wanted this night to be about the film crew. Plus Mina said they weren’t in the mood to be photographed.”

“Not like we have much choice,” Jeongyeon huffs. She still doesn’t really enjoy this aspect of the business, it seems. Tzuyu doesn’t mind it as much — it’s shallow, but the entire Industry is. 

They pose for a minute more, then they finally move on. Tzuyu hadn’t imagined there would be paparazzi for this event — Jihyo had almost made it seem like a private party, just a New Years Eve party with the crew, until Nayeon texted her to tell her it’d be in one of Seoul's most expensive hotels and to bring jewelry. And so she did. Nayeon hadn’t lied; as they enter the ballroom, Tzuyu tries not to think about the thousands of pictures that’ll be circling the internet of her staring at Jeongyeon, her heart out for the entire world to see. Instead she focuses on how beautiful the venue is: it’s by far one of the biggest, most luxurious venues she’s seen used for a party. It looks right out of a cheesy Christmas movie; a ballroom decorated with lights and garlands, a giant Christmas tree on the corner, rich men and women alike sipping on champagne and eating caviar.

“This place is gorgeous,” she mutters, staring in awe.

“I’ve seen better,” Jeongyeon jokes, looking equally in awe. The Christmas lights brighten her face; the curve of her nose, everything about her is beautiful. Tzuyu looks away, warmth spreading on her belly.

“I’m sure you have,” she offers. 

“I can’t believe we were late for this,” Jeongyeon says.

“Oh my God. It was _ fifteen _ minutes,” Tzuyu rolls her eyes. “That is called being fashionably on time.”

“Nine fifteen PM Tzuyu,” Jeongyeon shakes her head in disapproval, and Tzuyu bites the inside of her cheek to keep from groaning. “Nine fifteen. Half a half an hour late. Tsk, tsk.”

“Are you going to hold it over my head the entire evening?”

“Yes,” Jeongyeon replies.

Tzuyu walks away.

“You know that walking away from the argument means I won,” Jeongyeon boasts from her place. Once she realizes Tzuyu is not waiting for her, she hurriedly catches up until they arrive at the bar.

“You’re the one who’s talking to herself,” Tzuyu notes, gesturing at the barman to come over. “I don’t think you won anything.”

“Excuses!” Jeongyeon sticks out her tongue, the giant baby that she is. “I still won.”

Tzuyu presses her lips together to keep herself from giggling. She will not give Jeongyeon the satisfaction. 

“Whatever you say, Jeongyeon.” 

Jeongyeon is unphased by her snark. “You brought my present, Santa?”

“How could I forget?” Tzuyu lifts an eyebrow at her. “You keep reminding me every three minutes.”

It’s unfair to say that. Jeongyeon never asks or demands anything, much less gifts. She’s more the kind of person that gives rather than takes, and it’s one of the reasons Tzuyu loves… being her  _ friend _ . The only reason Jeongyeon even brings it up is to tease her, as she does every time. Tzuyu still feels slightly sad that she hadn’t been able to spend Christmas with Jeongyeon, but she had been kind enough to mail her present to her parent’s house in Taiwan, which had been the best gift Tzuyu had ever received. Not necessarily because of what it was, but because of who they were from.

_ Tzuyu’s mother is on her third glass of champagne. _

_ “Okay, love,” her father whispers to her, as Tzuyu sneaks a piece of beef under the table to feed one of her dogs. The clock marks past twelve, the gift her parents just gave her on her wrist. Christmas is always an interesting affair at the Chou household. “Your mother is officially hammered.” _

_ She giggles, as her dog Toast rips the food away from her hand. “She’s having fun.” _

_ “She always does when you’re here,” her father tells her. He takes his glass and sips for a second too long, watching his wife giggle at her son. “We miss you too much when you’re gone, so she always tries to make the holidays memorable.” _

_ “I know,” Tzuyu smiles a bit sadly. “I miss you guys too.” _

_ “We watch your drama,” her father confesses. “Your mom really likes it. She thinks Jeongyeon is really pretty.” _

_ I do too, she thinks. “She’s really talented,” she says. Thinking about Jeongyeon leaves her feeling slightly confused, a bit sad, like there’s this big gaping heart shaped hole on her chest. She’s been trying very hard not to think about her these past few days, so far away from Korea, but it’s been hard. She misses her. _

_ Tzuyu wonders what she’s doing right now. Maybe spending Christmas with her family at the shelter, maybe with Nayeon and Jihyo or Sana and Momo, maybe alone. She’s the kind of person to enjoy being alone sometimes, but it’d break Tzuyu’s heart to know she was. She also knows Jeongyeon too much to text her and tell her she misses her because she knows she’s the kind of person to get inside a plane and fly to wherever she is just to make her feel better. _

_ “You should introduce her to us,” her father says, his voice implying something Tzuyu’s not quite ready to understand. “Maybe tell her to join us for Christmas next year.” _

_ “Hmm,” Tzuyu acknowledges. Jeongyeon is nothing if not presentable (when she wants to be), but it’d still be fun to see her try to hold her teasing back in front of her very serious brother. _

_ Her father stares at her, looking like he’s expecting some sort of reaction.  _

_ “What?” Tzuyu asks. _

_ “Nothing,” He shakes his head, smiling softly. “A package came for you the other day, but it said not to show you before Christmas, so I kept my promise.” _

_ Tzuyu frowns. “From who?” _

_ “Your co-star, Yoo Jeongyeon,” he explains, taking the little box from his jacket. It’s blue, wrapped in a tin white bow. It makes Tzuyu feel a little breathless. “She even wrote the note in Chinese so I could understand it. You never told us she could speak Chinese, Tzuyu.” _

_ Tzuyu doesn’t look up as her father places the box in her hands. “She took a few classes in school...” _

_ “It’s not the best, but her calligraphy is good,” he nods. _

_ Tzuyu barely registers her father is talking to her. “I’ll go open this in my room.” _

_ “Sure, love,” he looks like he’s about to burst out laughing, but Tzuyu dismisses it as her father being her father.  _

_ For some reason, Tzuyu finds her heart beating loudly inside her chest as she runs to her old room decorated with old k-pop group posters. She closes the door and delicately tears the ribbon off the box and leaves it on her nightstand, next to her old snoopy alarm clock that now doesn’t even work. _

_ When she opens the box she gasps — it’s a pair of Chanel earrings, golden details with glass pearls dangling from the ends of the logos, decorated with tiny diamonds. She takes one of them and immediately throws her old ones on the Hello Kitty sheets that decorate her bed, noticing that there’s something written under the box. _

_ Merry Christmas, my Kwon Jinsol. XO _

_ Tzuyu’s mouth goes dry, her heart threatens to jump out of her ribcage. _

_ Tzuyu had promised herself something after that night at the Hotel. She wouldn’t ruin this. She wouldn’t ruin her and Jeongyeon’s feelings just because she’s so confused. Tzuyu refuses to let her feelings get the best of her. _

_ My Kwon Jinsol. _

_ She takes her phone and dials Jeongyeon’s number. After three rings, Jeongyeon picks it up. _

_ “Did you like my present?” is the first thing she says. _

_ “Yes, thank you,” she responds. Then, “Are you crazy, Yoo Jeongyeon? They must’ve cost a fortune!” _

_ “They looked pretty,” Jeongyeon says. She hears distant laughter in the background (which sounds an awful lot like Jihyo’s) and Tzuyu can totally picture Jeongyeon shrugging. “Can you send me a pic of how they look?” _

_ Despite herself, Tzuyu blushes and smiles. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll wear them to the Holiday Gala and you’ll see them on me then.” _

_ “That’s like a week from now,” Jeongyeon whines. _

_ “You miss me already?” _

_ “Yup,” Jeongyeon sighs. “I’m spending Christmas with Jihyo and Nayeon and they spend half the time bickering and the other half with their hands all over each other.” _

_ “Like they do everyday…?” _

_ Jeongyeon chuckles. “Hah. Yeah.” _

_ “How did you write the note in Chinese?” Tzuyu asks her, plopping herself down on her bed. It’s too short for her now — her legs hang by the end of the bed. “Did you use Google Translate?” _

_ “What? Impressed?” Jeongyeon sounds so smug Tzuyu would smack her with a pillow if she were there. “I used to study Chinese when I went to school, but I never passed because I had a crush on my teacher and I was distracted all the time. She had really long hair, I liked that about her.” _

_ Tzuyu finds herself stupidly smiling, clutching at her phone for dear life. “I still have to give you your present, you know.” _

_ “You know you don’t have to, right?” her friend reminds her on the other side of the line. “I just got you those earrings ‘cause I thought you’d like them. You don’t have to give me anything.” _

_ “Are you crazy?” Tzuyu huffs. “It’s Christmas. I’ll show it to you when we see each other again. Besides, you’ll really like it… I hope...” _

_ “Now I’m really intrigued,” she says. She hears a bit of ruffling, then Jeongyeon mumbles, “Shit.” _

_ “Are you drunk, Yoo Jeongyeon?” _

_ She can hear Jeongyeon running her hand through her hair, snowflakes on her jet black hair, her nose red. Tzuyu’s heart jumps inside her chest. “Kinda, yeah. I’m on the balcony and it’s cold as Hell.” _

_ “You should go inside,” Tzuyu reminds her, trying to keep her heartbeat calm. “You’ll get sick.” _

_ “I wish you were here,” Jeongyeon says. _

_ Tzuyu’s breath gets caught inside her throat. She wants to reply before the silence gets uncomfortable, but she feels frozen in place. _

_ Jeongyeon chuckles, slightly nervous and drunk. “Heh. Sorry, I—” _

_ “I wish you were here too,” Tzuyu says, blushing up to her ears. “I’ll see you at the Gala, okay? I’ll be wearing your earrings and a pretty dress.” _

_ “Okay,” she replies, sounding slightly tired. “I’ll wear a pretty dress too.” _

_ Tzuyu knows she’s supposed to hang up, but she holds onto the call for a little longer, like a warm blanket on a cold day like this. _

_ “Hey, Jeong?” _

_ Miraculously, Jeongyeon hasn’t hung up either. “Hm?” _

_ “Merry Christmas, my Jooyoung,” she says, feeling stupid and strangely vulnerable. “And thank you… again.” _

_ “Anything for Tzu,” she replies. “See what I did there?” _

_ Tzuyu laughs, butterflies on her stomach. I can’t ruin this, she reminds herself. _

  
  


The barman comes over. Tzuyu waves at the barman, “Hi, can I get a soda please? Do you want something, Jeong?”

“I’ll have a martini.” Jeongyeon turns to Tzuyu. “No alcohol tonight?” 

“I’m waiting until  _ after _ we talk to the important people to get plastered,” Tzuyu says, wryly. She flashes the barman a smile once she notices how completely starstruck he seems to be by the both of them. “They  _ are _ in charge of our show, you know.”

Jeongyeon waves a hand at her dismissively. “It’s done airing. We owe nothing to them anymore. They wanted to cancel us anyway.”

Tzuyu smiles, pride swelling up her chest. “And we became the most watched show in the network.”

Jeongyeon matches her smile. “That we did.”

The barman returns with their drinks then, his hand slightly shaking as he slides them towards them. Tzuyu flashes him a smile and he looks like he might pass out.

“Besides,” Tzuyu continues, leaning on the bar. “They could still renew us for a second season.”

Jeongyeon shrugs, her eyes not meeting Tzuyu’s. “I don’t know. I don’t think Jihyo wants a second season.”

Tzuyu tilts her head, confused and slightly hurt. “What? The show’s a complete hit. People are already asking for a second season, I see thousands of tweets about it...”

“I know,” she nods. “I think the network might even want a second season. The ratings were crazy for the last episode.”

“And it won a ton of awards,” Tzuyu reminds her. 

“It’s just… don’t you think Jooyoung and Jinsol’s story is over?” Jeongyeon asks, her voice somehow more serious than Tzuyu’s usually used to hearing from her. “They confessed, they are dating, and now they are opening their own restaurant. What else is there to tell?”

Tzuyu is suddenly hit with a sense of dread so strong she feels her throat start to close up. “Is it really over?”

She’s not sure she’s talking only about Jooyoung and Jinsol. If the story of Jooyoung and Jinsol is over, does that mean Tzuyu and Jeongyeon’s is over too? Is there nothing to their story anymore? Their eyes meet. Jeongyeon looks like she has so much to say, so much she can’t. Tzuyu has too, but it’s always been harder for her. She thinks she might’ve stopped breathing for a second, waiting for Jeongyeon to say something.

Before Jeongyeon has a chance to respond, Tzuyu catches a glimpse of blonde hair running at full speed towards her and she barely has time to steady herself before Sana is wrapping her arms around Tzuyu’s neck and hugging her. Immediately Tzuyu feels lighthearted again, even if she’s being crushed by Sana, the sequins of her purple dress digging into Tzuyu’s skin. Never has Tzuyu been happier to be stabbed by a dress in her entire life.

“Tzuyu-ah!” she giggles, holding onto her neck. Tzuyu smiles and sees Jeongyeon do the same from the corner of her eye, her shoulders slouching a bit. Sana always knows how to make everyone feel better, albeit unknowingly. “How are you?” She murmurs into Tzuyu’s hair.

“I’m good,” she holds back a laugh. “You look pretty, Sana Unnie.”

“Thank you,” she says after pulling away. She stares at the both of them, eyebrows rising to her forehead. “No —”

“Matching outfits, no,” Jeongyeon finishes for her, amused. “We’ve been over this, Sana.”

“I was gonna say,” Sana says, pushing Jeongyeon slightly by the shoulder. “You guys kind of match today.”

Tzuyu frowns. “What?”

Tzuyu takes a look at what Jeongyeon is wearing — a silver dress with puffy sleeves; she looks stunning tonight, she always does, but Tzuyu ought to tell her more often. Tzuyu is wearing a two piece set, the color similar to Jeongyeon’s.

“She’s right,” someone says, and Tzuyu is not surprised to see Momo suddenly appearing next to Sana, as she usually does. “Did you guys plan this?”

“No,” Tzuyu says, truthfully. “Maybe our stylists...?”

Jeongyeon shrugs. “I really don’t know.”

“Mhm...” Sana hums. “You guys are so in sync. Makes you think, doesn’t it, Momo?”

Momo looks uninterested, but she tries nodding once Sana elbows her to do so. “Eh… yes. Makes you think.”

Normally Tzuyu would dismiss Sana’s attempts at setting her and Jeongyeon up — she’s Sana, she’s a hopeless romantic, it’s really sweet — but this time it leaves her feeling heavy. She sighs and takes a sip of her soda, tries not to start Tzuyu-ing only fifteen minutes into the night. There’s a beat of silence, not the kind one, the kind of silence that settles in the air and makes everyone feel uncomfortable and slightly on edge.

“I love your new hair, Momo,” Tzuyu says, slightly awkward.

“I chopped it off,” Momo smiles. “Not even because of a role, just ‘cause I really wanted to.”

Tzuyu absentmindedly starts playing with her recently dyed hair. “Hmm. That’s nice. It suits your face.”

It’s nice to see Momo blush and become shyer — when she’s around Sana she’s kind of grumpy, which is always endearing next to Sana’s overly friendly and sweet personality. They balance each other. Tzuyu thinks that if soulmates actually exist, Momo and Sana must be. They fit into each other like a puzzle, understand each other like no one else really can. 

“She looks lovely,” Sana nods, smiling sweetly. “I’ve been offered a role on a drama but I’d have to cut my hair shorter...”

“Speaking about that,” Momo says, remembering something. She turns to Jeongyeon, clapping her hands together. “I heard about the role you were offered! Los Angeles, huh? That’s crazy, Jeong!”

Tzuyu blinks. “Eh? Los Angeles?”

“Oh,” Momo says, eyes slightly widened. 

Sana turns to look at Jeongyeon in disbelief. “Tzuyu doesn’t know?” 

“What movie?” Tzuyu asks, confused. “What are you guys talking about?”

Jeongyeon winces once Tzuyu turns to look at her. “Yeah… Uh, I was offered a role in a movie in America. I haven’t accepted or anything, but it’s a really big director and… it’s a huge opportunity for me.”

Tzuyu thinks her heart might’ve stopped for a second. “When are you leaving?”

“I don’t know if I’m leaving,” Jeongyeon shakes her head, avoiding Tzuyu’s eyes. “But it would be next year. Like, as soon as possible. They told me they would cover my flight tickets and everything.”

“So like, tomorrow?” Tzuyu says, her chest tight.

“No, I wasn’t even thinking about taking it,” Jeongyeon explains, scratching the back of her head. “It’s way too far away from here.”

Tzuyu closes her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me...?”

“Because I wasn’t going to take it, Tzu,” Jeongyeon replies, her hand reaching for Tzuyu’s arm.

Tzuyu doesn’t even know how to react to that. It’s all crashing down on her— the realization that it truly is over, that she won’t come on set everyday and see Jeongyeon, that there are no more excuses to see her, that their lives will go on separate ways. Jeongyeon will go to America, Tzuyu will go on tour, record songs. Their story ends on a screen. There’s no string to tie their lives together anymore.

She doesn’t really know what to say. She feels selfish, she knows this is an amazing opportunity for Jeongyeon, to be truly recognized all over the world because of how good she is. So Tzuyu swallows her feelings and says, “You should take it.”

Momo nods, slowly. “Tzuyu is right. It’s a really big deal.”

“I’d miss you,” Sana adds. “But you should really take it.”

Jeongyeon makes a face, then takes a sip of her martini. “I don’t know...”

“What is the movie about?” Tzuyu asks, resting her hand on Jeongyeon’s arm, trying to reassure her. 

“The script was amazing,” Jeongyeon does smile at that. Her body relaxes a bit more. It’s always fascinating to see her talk about acting, it’s obvious that it’s her passion and what she was meant to do. “It’s about a girl who travels to America to look for her lost father and she’s super badass and complex. My agent said it’s ‘Academy Award material’.”

“Are you kidding me?” Tzuyu huffs. “And you seriously were thinking about not taking it?”

Jeongyeon shrugs. “I’d be away for an entire year.”

“We can video call,” Tzuyu offers, although half heartedly. The thought of Jeongyeon being on the other half of the world for a year makes her feel a bit sick. “We already text a lot.”

“We’ll take care of Tzuyu for you,” Momo adds. Tzuyu stares at her, not sure how to feel being so singled out like this in front of others. Other people notice how attached she’s been…?

Jeongyeon smiles, unsure.

“Hey!” Tzuyu hears a voice calling for them, and she immediately recognizes Jihyo’s voice as she runs towards their little group in her five inch heels, Nayeon walking behind her with a smile. Her presence helps lighten the mood, Sana’s entire face lighting up the second she sees her.

It’s Jihyo’s turn to be crushed in a hug. Nayeon allows a pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek (it’s all an act honestly, Tzuyu’s seen her curled up around Sana like a cat most days on set). 

“Where are your friends?” Nayeon asks. “I know Jeongyeon’s dying to see them.”

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes, her cheeks tinted a slight shade of pink. “Shut up.”

“They’ll arrive later,” Tzuyu explains.

“Wait!” Sana exclaims, turning to look at Tzuyu. “TWICE is going to be here? I’m gonna meet Dahyun?”

Momo tsks. “You have unleashed a monster.”

“Stop it,” Sana chastises, hitting Momo across the shoulder. “I’m so excited!”

“Don’t eat my friend,” is all Tzuyu says.

“Can we stop being gay for like a second?” Jihyo jokes, and Tzuyu finds herself giggling even if she herself is barely figuring out what she is. She wraps an arm around Momo and rests her head on Sana’s shoulder. “Let’s talk like normal people for once. What did you guys do for Christmas?” 

“Momo and I went back to Japan for the holidays, we just got back this Monday. Jeongyeon Unnie got me chocolates,” Sana coos. “They were really good.”

“She bought me a pink phone case,” Momo nods, smiling content. 

“I spent Christmas with Jeongyeon and she got me absolutely nothing,” Nayeon says wryly, hitting her best friend across the shoulder.

“That’s a lie!” she points at Nayeon. “I got you coal.”

“That’s not a gift,” she huffs, as everyone else bursts into laughter. Nayeon glares at her girlfriend. “What are you laughing about? She gave you coal too!”

Jihyo shrugs. “It was kinda funny.”

“To you,” she concludes.

“What did Jeongyeon get you, Tzuyu-ah?” Jihyo questions, turning to look at her.

Tzuyu blushes, turning her head to the side to show the golden jewelry on her ears, laced with pearls and crystals. “These earrings.”

“Wow,” Sana says, mouth opened in an O shape.

“And you gave us _ coal, _ you witch?”

“I was committed to the joke,” she shrugs. 

“No wonder she didn’t get us anything,” Jihyo says, as her girlfriend begins to hit Jeongyeon repeatedly until she pushes her off. “You didn’t have any money after buying those. Aren’t they Chanel?”

Jeongyeon is blushing. “They weren’t that expensive. I’m an actress, people. I have money.”

“What did Tzuyu get you, Unnie?” Momo wonders.

“Ah, I still haven’t given her her present,” Tzuyu nods. “We haven't seen each other since Christmas, so I thought I’d give it to her tonight. But it’s a surprise, so I’ll wait a little longer.”

“Unfortunately,” Jeongyeon sighs.

Sana pouts. “I wanted to see...”

The gift burns a hole inside her purse. The news of Jeongyeon leaving has turned the entire evening sour, but she should try to keep a brave face for Jeongyeon. She wishes her members were here — even if they don’t know the whole truth, if there’s one thing she can count on is on Chaeyoung’s shoulder to lean on, on Mina stroking her hair, and Dahyun trying to make her laugh.

“We should mingle,” Nayeon says suddenly, her eyes dropping to the rest of the party. “These are very important network investors here.” 

Jihyo sighs. “Everywhere we go we always have to talk to some damn investors...”

Nayeon turns to grab Jihyo’s chin, the gesture so intimate that it makes Tzuyu blush. “I know. But it’ll be worth it when they are eating from your hand.”

Jihyo can’t really say no when Nayeon looks at her like that. It’s sweet, but also something akin to envy burns inside Tzuyu — without thinking she turns to look at Jeongyeon, and when the other catches her stare, she smiles at her. Always reassuring. Hidden, she reaches for her hand from the back, and finds Jeongyeon doing the same.

Tzuyu realizes how completely unconscious the gesture is — it makes sense, she and Jeongyeon have been friends for almost a year now, but it makes Tzuyu’s heart skip a beat; the way her hand finds Jeongyeon’s even behind her back, where no one can see them, knowing Jeongyeon will be searching for hers too. She thinks back on the day of the press conference, when they were drunk and making fun of people they didn’t even know in a bed that was probably not meant for them, but it had felt like home. Jeongyeon feels like home.

The realization doesn’t make her gasp, it’s not mind blowing by any means — it’s more like something Tzuyu has inherently known for a while now. She doesn’t know how she knows, but the fact is that she does, and the truth settles on her chest and she breathes it in and out. She squeezes Jeongyeon’s hand.

_ It’s okay if you leave. I can wait for you. _ The words won’t leave her, they die on the back of her throat.

“Let’s do this,” Jeongyeon tells her. Tzuyu’s just opening her mouth to respond when Nayeon interrupts her.

“You guys are the stars of the show,” she says, “And the most popular actresses. It’d be best if you split to cover more ground.”

Tzuyu can barely hide her disappointment. “Oh.”

It was somewhat normal for them to be separated during these kinds of events to ‘appease’ investors (although most of them always wanted to see them together anyway, ‘to see if their chemistry was as real in person as it was on screen’), but it’s New Years Eve, for God’s Sake. She’s been gone for weeks. She’d wanted to spend the holiday with Jeongyeon.

“You’re kidding,” Jeongyeon deadpans.

“Nope,” Nayeon shakes her head. “I’m right. Today is very important. We could get a second season, people.”

Momo grabs Tzuyu’s other hand.

“Come with us,” she says. 

“Momo wants an excuse to spend time with her favorite youngest crew member,” Sana teases, and Momo smiles slightly.

“Guilty as charged,” Momo says, then reaches to look at Tzuyu’s and Jeongyeon’s joined hands. She raises an eyebrow. “May I?”

“Why do I feel like I’m in a k-drama…?”

“When you’re in a drama,” Jihyo says, sipping on Tzuyu’s soda, “your life  _ becomes _ the drama.”

Jeongyeon lets go, blushing slightly, and Momo and Sana entwine their arms with Tzuyu’s and drag her away. She manages to catch her gaze before she’s being whisked away to the girl’s bathroom.

“I need to pee,” Sana says while smiling apologetically, before stepping on one of the stalls. Momo rests her back on the door, guarding it. There’s something so familiar in the way she does it, like she’s been doing this since she was a kid. Their bond amuses Tzuyu. She’s never met two people who are so different yet so alike.

“How long have you been friends?” Tzuyu asks, smiling slightly. She’s heard rumors about them being from the same High School, but nothing concrete.

Momo smiles. “Since we were born.”

She hears Sana giggle, then she steps out of the stall. “We’ve been friends since we were in the womb, we just didn’t know it until we actually met when we moved to Korea.”

“Oh,” Tzuyu says. “You didn’t go to High School together?”

“Yeah, we did,” Momo replies as Sana washes her hands, and she pulls out a tube of mascara from her purse and starts retouching her eyelashes. “But we never, like, spoke. I wasn’t very popular, and Sana was.”

Sana giggles. “Momo was a bit shy. Still is. Aren’t you, Momoring?”

“Shush. You’re the extroverted one,” Momo blushes slightly. “Anyway, we hadn’t really known each other until we both moved to Korea together when we were teens. We entered the same agency and the rest was history.”

“And how did you meet Mina?”

“I think it was at some Dior event, I’m not sure...” Sana trails off, drying her hands on a blue towel. She continues, “Momo and I are huge fans of TWICE and she was like, easily the prettiest girl in the room, so we went up to talk to her. And we just hit it off.”

“I think...” Momo begins. “I think we could understand each other, that’s why we all got along so well. We all left home really young to chase our dreams. Especially you, Tzuyu. Sometimes it feels like you have two homes and other times it feels like you have none.”

Tzuyu remembers trainee days, where she didn’t know a word of Korean and she was just thirteen, aimlessly walking around the building looking for instructions, until Mina had come along when she turned fifteen and finally found a friend who could understand.

Momo is right. Tzuyu’s heart is split in half, one with her dogs and her family back in Taiwan, where the sun shines brighter and she doesn’t worry about spending too much time under it or if her makeup looks good; and one here in Korea, with her group and with her fans, and with the crew. In Korea, where Jeongyeon is. Sometimes they feel so far apart she feels like she has no heart at all, searching for the other half that’s missing.

Half a person, half a heart. It’s been hard to find that balance so young.

“Yeah...” she nods. “Yeah, I understand. Mina’s been my Sana in that regard, and I’ve been her Momo.”

Momo blushes, like she’s a bit embarrassed. 

“That reminds me! Mina gave me the sweetest birthday and christmas gift too,” Sana beams, taking out her phone. That’s right, Sana’s birthday was on the 28th. Tzuyu had called to wish her a happy birthday, and Sana had been very grateful. She scrolls through some pictures until she finally finds it; a picture of her on the mirror holding a homemade phone strap. Mina had gifted her members that a while ago as well.

“That’s very cute,” Tzuyu smiles. “I still have to get you a gift. I wanted to see you, but you were in Japan...”

“Don’t worry about it,” she shakes her head. “But the crew owes me a birthday party still, even if I was away.”

The crew had celebrated all of the cast’s birthdays — except for Jihyo’s, since it was before filming even started — for Tzuyu’s birthday they had brought out a cake in the middle of filming with a picture of her smiling, candles surrounding it. _ Twenty three here we go _ , she had thought as she blew them out. She hadn’t celebrated with the crew since she didn’t really consider them her friends, much less Jeongyeon.

Nayeon’s birthday was during their last month on set and she had invited all of them to a bar after hours. She’d locked herself and Jihyo in the bathroom to make out, and Jeongyeon and Tzuyu spent the entire night playing lookout just to be sure.

“I thought we’d be having fun tonight,” Tzuyu had sighed, resting her head on the bathroom door, “I didn’t think we’d be guarding the bar’s bathroom...”

“Don’t you know, this is how all great romances start?” Jeongyeon had joked, a smirk on her face, the dim lights of the bar casting a shadow on her face. 

Tzuyu hadn’t known how to respond to that, she had just blushed and made the entire night really awkward. It was before she had figured the mess of feelings bubbling up inside her chest, and it had only confused her more— the way her heart got caught inside her throat, the way she had felt butterflies in her belly.

For Jeongyeon’s and Momo’s birthdays they had both decided to throw a party together, since their birthdays were only a few days apart. They’d invited the crew to Sana and Momo’s apartment and spent the entire night there. 

_ “The presscon is soon,” Sana tells her as she munches on some chips, “have you guys decided what you’re wearing?” _

_ “There’s still a week left,” Jihyo says, legs resting on her girlfriend’s on the couch, her head on Sana’s lap.  _

_ “So…?” her girlfriend judges, half-teasing and half-serious. _

_ “We don’t all plan our outfits a week in advance,” Jeongyeon points out from the loveseat. Tzuyu sits on the arm of said chair, giggling slightly and balancing on her other foot. _

_ “You don’t?” _

_ Momo is eating cake on the other seat. “I think I’ll wear pants.” _

_ “Are you guys staying in the Hotel?” Tzuyu asks, playing with the half piece of cake on her plate. “The drive back from Busan is so tiring...” _

_ “Isn’t it like four hours?” Sana sighs. When Tzuyu and Jeongyeon nod yes, she turns to Momo, who is looking at her phone, probably answering happy birthday messages. “I’ll definitely stay there. Roomie?” _

_ “Don’t call me Roomie,” Momo says. Then, “Yes, Bestie. I’ll book us a room.” _

_ Nayeon and Jihyo just have to look at each other to confirm that they’ll in fact share a room. Jihyo has this shit eating grin and a raised eyebrow, and Nayeon actually blushes. It’s very cute. _

_ Tzuyu tries to ignore the way she feels Jeongyeon’s eyes digging into her right now, but she can’t. It’s been a week since she’s kissed her and just looking at her makes Tzuyu not feel like herself. She gets overly nervous and awkward, and she knows Jeongyeon can tell. Finally, Jeongyeon reaches for her arm and Tzuyu almost shivers. _

_ “Hey,” she calls. “Are you having fun?” _

_ Tzuyu needs to get over whatever it is that’s going on with her.  _

_ “Uh… yeah. Yeah.” _

_ “You look a bit nervous,” Jeongyeon points out. _

_ Tzuyu bites her lip. “Just… the press conference. I’m not used to doing things like that.” _

_ It’s not a lie per se. It’s not her biggest concern right now, but she is nervous about it. Jeongyeon dismisses her with a wave of her hand. _

_ “Are you kidding? You’re gonna be amazing. I’m shit at those kinds of events,” she shakes her head. “I always get way too nervous.”  _

_ “You’ll be great too,” Tzuyu reassures her. _

_ “I’ll try not to freak out too much,” she says, looking like she’s already imagining how nerve-wracking it’ll be. “You’ll stay by my side, right? To keep me from spontaneously puking all over the stage?” _

_ Jeongyeon reaches for her hand then, her touch so soft and feathery. Tzuyu feels her heart quicken at the action, worries that somehow Jeongyeon will be able to hear it. She smiles, and Tzuyu returns the smile, trying her best to be reassuring. The truth is that she doesn’t even need to try — she wants to be there for Jeongyeon, to hold her hand, to help calm her nerves down, to laugh with her, to wake up next to her.  _

_ She thinks about the kiss, and Jeongyeon’s hand on her waist, and her lips on hers, how everything had disappeared and it was just the two of them. She’s not sure what to make of these thoughts, this pit in the bottom of her stomach, so she pushes it all back down. _

_ “Wanna share a room? We can order room service,” Jeongyeon raises an eyebrow at her. “Pancakes on me.” _

_ That does make her chuckle. _

_ “Promise?” _

_ “Well, I don’t  _ promise _ , but it  _ is _ a possibility...” _

“Next birthday’s is Jihyo’s,” Momo points out, wrapping her arm around Sana’s and smiling at her. “We need to start making birthday plans.”

“Oh yeah!” Sana squeals, excited. 

“We have a whole month left...” Tzuyu mumbles, but Sana pays her no mind.

“We could get a red velvet cake, I know she loves that flavor, and we can get Nayeon to buy apricot balloons,” she nods. “And Jeongyeon— eh...”

“Jeongyeon won’t be here,” Tzuyu says, trying not to sound too sad. “She’ll be in LA for the entire year.”

“Tzu,” Momo says, a frown on her features. “You don’t know that...”

“She should take the role,” is all she replies with. “You know it too.”

Momo swallows and looks away, not responding. Tzuyu’s phone starts ringing then, and she takes it from her purse. She shouldn’t think about Jeongyeon leaving; it’s for the best. It’s selfish to want to get in the way of that.

She checks her phone and finds that Chaeyoung’s texted her.

_ From: Chaeyoung Minaj _

_ All the paps left so we’re outsideee :)  _

_ Where art thou chou tzuyu _

_ From: Dubu :D _

_ Chae wants to try the snacks at this fancy ass party _

_ I also want to _

_ But im more interested in wreaking havoc _

_ From: Mitang <3 _

_ Help _

_ From: You _

_ OTW _

“Mina and the girls are outside,” she announces, and both Momo and Sana smile from ear to ear, and tug at her arm in excitement.

“Let’s meet them!”

Tzuyu, Sana and Momo walk with their arms intertwined back to the ballroom and near the entrance, waiting for Tzuyu’s bandmates to arrive. She catches a glimpse of Nayeon talking to a group of people by the dancefloor, Jihyo not too far from her, and Jeongyeon by the corner near where they are. She catches her eye and smiles.

Finally Mina, Chaeyoung and Dahyun walk in. They are dressed rather modestly to not call too much attention to themselves — they are just here to support Tzuyu. Chaeyoung already said she had New Years Eve plans with her friends, so she’d leave before Midnight anyway. Sana squeals when she sees them, Momo looking just as excited.

“It’s TWICE…!” Momo says when they walk in. 

Mina greets them normally, but Momo and Sana seem starstruck by the other members. Momo goes on a rant of how cool Chaeyoung is, and Sana just looks at Dahyun and giggles.

“Tzuyu-yah, please do the greeting with them?” Momo asks, “Pretty please.”

It’s endearing to see Momo so excited, so she complies and laughs when all four of them do it. It’s always cute when people are so excited to meet them. 

“We didn’t actually get to meet during the premiere party,” Sana says, smiling bright and becoming slightly embarrassed. “So I’m very happy to finally introduce myself to you. Especially Dahyun.”

“She’s Dubu biased,” Tzuyu says, nudging her friend on the shoulder, who blushes.

“Ah, Thank you, Sana Unnie...”

“She called you Unnie,” Momo says, laughter in her voice. “You’re gonna talk about this for weeks, aren’t you?”

“Eek…!” is all Sana manages to say.

Chae nudges Tzuyu’s shoulder and whispers, “Where’s your hot co-star?”

Tzuyu chokes on her own saliva. 

“Excuse me?”

“You know, Yoo freaking Jeongyeon?” Chaeyoung looks like she might burst out laughing any second now. “The girl who was your first kiss?”

Tzuyu blushes. “... I know who she is.”

“Well? Will you introduce us to her soon?” she asks. “I know she’s a big fan. Did you know you’re both in the ‘Dispatch couple reveal of the New Year’ wishlist, right? Everyone on Twitter and Naver wants you guys to be an item.”

She has to admit it feels good to finally not be shipped with some random male Idol she’s never met.

“That’s crazy,” she says, blushing impossibly harder, mostly because she doesn’t really know what to reply to that.

“You’re on the top of the list of lesbians’ favorite Female Idols too,” she continues.

“How do you even know that?” Tzuyu asks.

“My friend Moonbyul, duh,” Chae says, chuckling. “I wouldn’t be mad if she was your first girlfriend, you know.”

“ _ Chaeyoung _ ,” Tzuyu almost gasps. “I’m an Idol. I can’t even date, let alone —”

“I know, I know,” she shakes her head. “But fuck it, right? You only live once, Kumbaya, Hakuna Matata, etcetera. It’s your life, Tzu. And that kiss was  _ bonkers _ .”

Tzuyu feels so embarrassed she wants to crawl into a hole. 

“Shut up...”

The whole point of bringing her friends here was to freaking _ distract  _ her. Thank God Dispatch doesn’t have anything to expose; although knowing people out there are rooting for her and Jeongyeon makes her feel… good, somehow. 

As Chae clings to her arm and starts talking with Momo, Tzuyu catches sight of Jeongyeon talking with a couple of people by one of the tables near the entrance. Everyone would think she’s a natural when she speaks to them; Jeongyeon’s quick to make them laugh and she engages in their conversation, but Tzuyu notices the way she folds her hands behind her, the way she crosses her legs. She looks natural, but she knows that it’s all an act.

Jeongyeon is introverted, as surreal as that sounds sometimes, and she’s good at masking when she’s uncomfortable (the actress in her, no doubt), but Tzuyu  _ knows  _ her.

“Hey,” she says. “I’ll be back on a sec, okay?”

Chae nods absentmindedly, already distracted by Momo pulling out her phone to show her her set of drums. Mina, however, frowns at her.

“Where are you going?” she asks. “We just got here...”

“To Jeongyeon,” she says. Mina’s entire expression changes; her nod and the side glance she gives her feel more than just actions. 

“I’ll come with you,” she announces. 

Tzuyu nods slightly, not really minding Mina’s company, and Mina follows her as she approaches Jeongyeon. She smiles when she spots them, and Tzuyu sees the way her hands untangle on her back and her shoulders seem less tense.

“Hello,” Tzuyu greets the people in the circle, who smile at her and begin to introduce themselves almost instantly, even if she’s met several of them before. One is from an ad they had to add in one of the episodes; some kind of soda, if she’s not mistaken. “I’m Chou Tzuyu, nice to meet you as well...”

“Ah!” One of the women gasps. “Is that Myoui Mina?”

Mina blushes slightly. “Yes, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Mina...” Jeongyeon whispers, looking starstruck. Tzuyu giggles.

“You look like you need saving,” she whispers to her.

Jeongyeon sighs. “Pretty much.”

“I need to speak with Jeongyeon,” Tzuyu says while they are all distracted by her band member, linking Jeongyeon’s arm with hers. “Would you mind if I stole her for a few seconds?”

“Go ahead,” most of the people say. Someone adds, “It was a pleasure to meet all three of you.” 

With a few smiles and waves, Tzuyu, Mina and Jeongyeon walk to a quieter, less busy part of the ballroom. 

“Isn’t that the guy who made blueberry juice soda…?” Mina asks, scratching her head.

“Hi,” Jeongyeon says, a bit awkwardly. “I’m Jeongyeon.”

“Ah! Hello,” Mina greets, smiling. “I’m Mina. Tzuyu has told me a lot about you.”

“I have  _ not _ .”

“Yes,” Mina chuckles. “she has.”

Tzuyu blushes. “Whatever...”

“I heard you really like TWICE,” Mina continues, not paying much attention to Tzuyu. Jeongyeon nods, excited. “And Tzuyu is your bias, isn’t she?”

Jeongyeon’s expression turns slightly embarrassed. Tzuyu is reminded they’ve never truly spoken about it, and wonders if Jeongyeon wonders what she might think about it, if her opinion about her changed because of it.

“Yeah...” she scratches the back of her head. “I really like your music.”

“Thank you,” Mina replies. “We’re fans of your movies and work as well.”

“Wah… really?”

“Yes,” she nods. “We went to see ‘Vicious’ at the cinema when it came out, remember, Tzuyu-ah?”

Tzuyu has a vague memory of it; when she first met Jeongyeon she had seemed very familiar, and once Jihyo finally introduced them, it finally clicked. Jeongyeon has been in thousands of respectable movies and acclaimed dramas, so Tzuyu had seen a few before meeting her. Vicious had been a hit at the box office, so she and her members had taken a day off to go to the cinema. It was a rare occasion — back then they barely had any time to breathe let alone rest, so the moments where they could relax and do something as simple as watching a movie were precious.

“That’s right,” Tzuyu hums. “I had almost forgotten.”

“It was a long time ago,” Mina nods.

Jeongyeon gifts Tzuyu a smug smile. “Did you like it, Tzu?”

“I don’t remember it,” Tzuyu deadpans.

Jeongyeon pouts. 

“So mean…”

“This place is really gorgeous,” Mina points out, taking out her phone to take a few photographs of the place. Tzuyu catches a glimpse of the time then — 10:45PM.

“It is,” Tzuyu murmurs, her eyes fixated on the golden details of the ceiling, the marble floors, the paintings hanging on the walls. “I want to dance later… It looks like something out of a fairytale.”

“I do too,” Jeongyeon says. “Maybe when there’s less people around.”

“Why don’t you guys dance now?” Mina asks.

“They are only playing slow Christmas music,” Jeongyeon replies, looking unimpressed at the choice of music.

“Isn’t the music romantic?” she asks again, her eyes landing on Tzuyu this time. 

She squints. “I guess...”

Tzuyu knows exactly what her leader is doing. Since when did all her friends become matchmakers? Did she miss something while she was in Taiwan?

Mina turns to Jeongyeon then. “Jeongyeon, Tzuyu is too shy to ask, but she wants to dance,” Mina explains. “She thinks this ballroom is perfect for it, she just said so. Will you ask her for a dance before one of those old men who keep ogling us do it?”

Tzuyu is rendered speechless for a few seconds, and when she comes to herself, Jeongyeon is blushing and rambling.

“I — What if someone takes a picture?” she asks. “I don’t mind, but — you’re an Idol. What if someone thinks we’re more than friends?”

“This event was just invitation only, wasn’t it?” Mina replies, already placing a hand on both of their backs to push them to the dancefloor. “You all know these people by name. They have secrets too, they won’t post any pictures online.”

“I don’t mind if they do,” Tzuyu says. She doesn’t know why she does it, but once it’s out there she can’t take it back.

“But there might be rumors about you,” Jeongyeon looks at her in disbelief.

"I don’t mind if people think we’re dating." She says, then realizes how bold that sounds and opens her eyes wide, stuttering when she speaks next. “I - I mean that— They already think we are, so...” Tzuyu looks down at the floor, furiously blushing. 

Tzuyu sees Jeongyeon nod from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, I - I got it.”

“I want to dance. But if you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

“No, I—” when she looks up, she sees Jeongyeon the most embarrassed she’s ever seen her. “I want to dance. With, em... With you.”

Tzuyu keeps her stare away from Jeongyeon, just in case her heart might burst. Her plan of using her group to distract her from her embarrassing crush completely backfired, and now she’s being pushed to a slow dance with said crush. She tries to calm the beating of her heart.  _ Get it together, Chou! _

“Good,” Mina says, and immediately pushes them onto the dance floor. “Now go dance!”

“Thanks for saving me back there,” Jeongyeon mumbles as soon as they are on the dancefloor, and she’s blushing, pink sprinkled across her cheeks like a painting. She doesn’t look at her— instead her eyes are focused on the party around her, her grip on Tzuyu’s waist slightly shaky. “I get super nervous at all these events.”

“You’re really good at hiding it,” Tzuyu points out. “... Sometimes.”

“Years of practice, I guess,” she shrugs. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes,” Tzuyu says, slightly exasperated. She’s awkward and can’t help but feel like they both stick out like sore thumbs in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by dancing couples, and Tzuyu knows this is an awful idea.

All around them are couples dancing together, holding each other’s hands and swaying to the beat of the song. Sees women feeding caviar appetizers to their rich husbands, one of the cameramen kisses his girlfriend and smiles into it like it’s the happiest he’s ever been. Catches a glimpse of Nayeon and Jihyo holding hands by the bar. Tzuyu’s belly twists with envy, excitement, longing, lovesickness. Tzuyu feels so much that she can’t really put a name to it. Everything’s so intense, so terribly confusing; the only thing that really makes sense is Jeongyeon.

“Just dance with me, okay?” she doesn’t give any more explanations, and it looks like Jeongyeon doesn’t need one.

“Okay, but I have two left feet, so it’s your funeral,” she reminds her.

Tzuyu chuckles, although it sounds nervous. “I guess it is.”

Jeongyeon’s grip on Tzuyu’s wait tightens, and it helps Tzuyu feel slightly more grounded. She’s still embarrassed, but then Jeongyeon misses a step and accidentally steps on Tzuyu’s left foot and she whines.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry—” Jeongyeon frowns, stepping away. “Are you laughing?”

“I’m sorry,” she shakes her head, giggles spewing out of her. “It’s just —”

“Are you secretly a masochist?”

Tzuyu hits Jeongyeon on the shoulder. “It’s not  _ that _ . It’s just… this is super awkward. It’s funny.”

“Heh,” Jeongyeon chuckles. “Like that night at the Hotel.”

For a split second Tzuyu worries, the smile on her face fading. They haven’t talked about that night, Tzuyu doesn’t want to start unpacking all of that now; she’s spent so much time trying to avoid it that it feels too raw. She has never felt more disarmed and bare than when she came out to Jeongyeon.

“I guess so,” she ends up saying. “Thank you for dancing with me anyway.”

“Are you kidding?” she asks, holding out her hand. “The song isn’t even over.”

Tzuyu looks at her extended hand, and takes it without really thinking about it. “You might’ve sent my small toe into a coma,” she adds.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Jeongyeon says, already wrapping her remaining arm around her neck. “It’ll be better if you lead.”

Tzuyu wraps her hand around Jeogyeon’s waist, the ghost of a blush grazing her own cheeks. She holds on as steadily as she can and guides Jeongyeon; two to the left, one back, and so on.

“See?” Jeongyeon says, smiling from ear to ear. “You’re better leading than me!”

“I guess I am,” she replies, content. 

The music fades into an even slower song, and Tzuyu is drawn closer to Jeongyeon — in these moments she wishes she wasn’t so self-conscious, because she wants to reach out and rest her head on the crook of Jeongyeon’s neck and close her eyes and just… lose herself in the moment. But that goes against everything she was taught; everything she’s ever known.

If there’s one thing Tzuyu’s learned when she became an Idol, is that everyone is always watching. She’s had to learn to have eyes on her back; it’s always hard to be relaxed in front of crowds of people for Tzuyu, knowing she draws attention with every step she takes.

“I remember your movie,” she says after a while. Jeongyeon hums in acknowledgement and she continues. “It was about a spy, wasn’t it? And you played his girlfriend.”

Jeong nods. “Yeah. It was a fun movie.”

“You were good on it,” she continues, “I remember your hair was longer in that movie. And you wore sneakers in every scene because your co-star was shorter than you.”

“You’re right,” Jeongyeon chuckles. “Male actors are very self-conscious about being short, heh.”

“I never told you, but I’ve always thought you were too good to be my co-star,” Tzuyu confesses, looking down at their feet. She doesn’t know what’s come over her to confess something like that, maybe so it can finally get through Jeongyeon’s thick skull that she should be in ‘Oscar material’ movies, as her manager put it. “You’re really talented.”

Jeongyeon shakes her head, frowning at the sudden confession. 

“I’m not too good to be your co-star. Jihyo personally chose you, Tzu.”

“I know, I guess...” Tzuyu bites her lip, not really knowing how to say what she wants to. “I just mean that you’re destined for something really good and that— that you should take the opportunity when it comes.”

Jeongyeon looks uncomfortable. 

“You mean L.A.?” she swallows.

“Yes,” she nods. “I mean the movie in America.”

“I don’t— It might be more than a year,” Jeongyeon says, dancing along with the music still. Tzuyu can feel her tense in her arms. “I don’t know. My manager said I might have to be there for maybe two years. It’s a long time and I don’t… I don’t want to go for that long and not see y— everyone. And what about the second season?”

“Jeong,” Tzuyu says, softly. She wants to reach out and place her hands on her face, hold her steady. She thinks about the kiss and stops herself. “You just said an hour ago that you didn’t think we’d even record a second season. You should go. You know how big this will be for you.”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t know what I’ll do.” 

“Jeong...”

The song ends right then, and Jeongyeon steps away then, looking vulnerable and wounded. 

“I’ll go talk to more people like Nayeon said,” Jeongyeon says, not looking her in the eye. “Enjoy the party, Tzu.”

Tzuyu watches her walk away wordlessly. She doesn’t chase her; she wouldn’t know what to say anyway. Mina is by her side in a split second, staring at Jeongyeon’s retreating form with a frown.

“What happened?” she asks Tzuyu. “You guys looked so cute dancing together.”

“I brought up LA,” Tzuyu says with a sigh.

“LA?” Mina looks at Tzuyu, even more confused.

“She got offered a job in America,” Tzuyu explains, swallowing back the lump inside her throat. “And I told her to take it.”

“Tzu...” Even if she doesn’t understand much, Mina reaches for her hand, brushes a strand of Tzuyu’s hair behind her ear. She’s struck with an intense urge to cry; so she closes her eyes and lets Mina fix her hair. She won’t cry. Not tonight. “It’ll be okay.”

She sighs. “I know… I know.”

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Mina asks, her voice sweet and soft, barely a whisper. 

“Yeah. I do,”  _ You have no idea. _ Tzuyu lifts her gaze from her own shoes and looks up at Mina. “Hey, Mina…?”

Mina’s smile is tender and caring and it makes Tzuyu feel like she’s at their dorm and they are braiding each other’s hairs while watching Rising Sun.

“Yeah?”

“I like girls,” Tzuyu says.

“Oh,” Mina’s finger in her hair twitches in shock — Tzuyu almost flinches, suddenly the weight of what she just said comes crashing down on her like an avalanche — but then Mina’s finger continues to run through her hair, fixing it back to place like nothing happened. “Okay.”

“You don’t care…?” Tzuyu asks in shock.

“Not really,” she shakes her head. “We don’t choose who we love. Besides, the way you act around a certain  _ someone _ isn’t strictly heterosexual, either.”

She means it as good natured teasing — Mina can’t be malicious even if she wanted to — but Tzuyu feels her heart drop to the pit of her stomach.

“Don’t… don’t tell her,” Tzuyu closes her eyes, this time feeling like tears might stream down her face. Mina’s sweet smile falls, and she reaches for her face and holds it steadily. She looks into her big, brown eyes, determined.

“I would never,” she says. “But I’m sure she wouldn’t hate you. She clearly cares about you too, and she’s obviously not a bigot if she acted in a show about two women being in love.”

Of course Tzuyu knows that, Jeongyeon already came out to her a couple of months back. It’s not that Tzuyu thinks she’d hate her— she’s not stupid, she knows Jeongyeon cares about her— it’s just that it’s nervewracking, this unexplored part of herself, and how strongly she feels about Jeongyeon makes her feel disarmed. She’s scared that maybe knowing Tzuyu feels that way about her might ruin everything.

Tzuyu nods, quickly stepping away to keep herself from crying. “Okay. Thank you.”

“She was your first kiss, wasn’t she?” Mina asks, smiling sweetly. “Those are always the most memorable ones. Maybe not the best or maybe not the worst, but it’s always the one you remember.”

Tzuyu remembers; she can’t imagine ever forgetting about the way Jeongyeon’s lips felt on hers, how she had felt like there was no one else but them in the room. How could she be so stupid to realize her feelings so late?

“I’ll miss her,” Tzuyu says, shaking her head. “But she should go. And I shouldn’t let… whatever I’m feeling get in the way. I can’t even  _ date _ anyway, the company would kill me.”

“Tzu, you should tell her,” Mina says, mouth pressed together. “If she leaves and you don’t you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

They stare at each other for a second. Tzuyu’s thinking about replying, but she doesn’t know what to respond to that. Maybe it’s true. Maybe she will regret never telling Jeongyeon how she feels. It’s a hard pill to swallow — acknowledging she has feelings for her, and that it won’t be easy to push them down.

It’s just— after years and years of keeping so many feelings and emotions down to be strong for the fans and for her members, it’s hard to want. To simply want to love, and to be loved back. Tzuyu feels like she’s walking on ice, and any second now the ground will crack under her weight and take her down with it.

Mina looks at her and places a hand on her shoulder.

“Whatever happens, you have me and Dubchaeng,” she tells her, and then she looks behind her worriedly, “... who are probably somewhere breaking something. I’ll check up on them. You okay?”

Tzuyu nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. Go find Thing #1 and #2, I’ll see if I can find Jihyo or Nayeon somewhere.”

After giving her a smile, Mina leaves to find her members. Tzuyu’s way too sober to deal with all the feelings that conversation caused, so she distracts herself by looking for her friends. Tzuyu doesn’t have to wander off for too long until she bumps into Jihyo and Nayeon, smiling through mimosas by the bar where she first saw them tonight.

“Hey!” Jihyo greets her, a wide smile on her face. “How are you, Tzu? Enjoying the party?”

Nayeon smirks. “I saw you dancing with Jeongyeon a couple of minutes ago, so I think you’re enjoying yourself quite a bit.”

“Yeah...” Tzuyu grimaces.

“Oh no,” Jihyo says worriedly, putting the mimosa down on the bar. “What happened?”

“She freaked out when I mentioned her leaving for LA,” she explains. “She left right after that… I think she’s talking to Sana by the music booth.”

“What did you say?” Nayeon questions, putting down her almost finished glass by the bar as well.

“Just that she should take the role,” she replies, feeling slightly uncomfortable again. “And that it’d be good for her… She’d already said she didn’t think we would make a season two anyway, so...”

“Well, we will,” Nayeon insists.

Jihyo sighs. “I told you, I’m still on the fence about it.”

Nayeon dismisses her with a wave of her hand. “You’ll come around.”

“Are you guys having fun?” Tzuyu asks. She doesn’t want to think about the future right now.

“Yes,” Jihyo giggles. “Your bandmates are funny. I think Dahyun is going around taking appetizers and putting them in her bag.”

“That’s because no one at the dorm can cook,” Tzuyu explains, a small smile on her lips. “We’re all really bad at it.”

“Nayeon sucks too,” Jihyo laughs when Nayeon pushes her slightly, her eyes practically heart-shaped. “You have other talents,” she reasures her. “Tzuyu, did you know Nayeon writes songs?”

“Oh,” Tzuyu says, genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know.”

“So does Jihyo,” Nayeon nods, looking embarrassed for the first time ever, possibly. “Jeongyeon does too, actually.”

Tzuyu’s heart leaps inside her chest. “Really?”

“Yeah, she’s pretty good,” she continues, “but she doesn’t show them to anyone. She was working on a new one, but she was way too shy to even read us anything. I think the name was Love Line or something like that...?”

“Yeah, that was it,” Jihyo nods. “Nayeon and I have sold a few songs, but Jeongyeon always says they are for herself.”

“I didn’t know that...” Tzuyu says. “She never told me.”

“Probably because they are about y—”

“Hey, Tzu,” Jihyo interrupts her girlfriend, basically putting a hand over her mouth to silence her. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after the show? Are you going to act again?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she shakes her head. “I’d like to. But it won’t be the same as recording with you guys. Cooking with the Enemy’s really special.” 

Nayeon takes Jihyo’s hand off her mouth. “Don’t be like that! We still don’t know if the network’s picking it up for a second season or not.”

“Nayeon.” Jihyo sighs again. “I told you I don’t know if I’d even agree to that. We only signed a one season contract and you know that.”

“I’m sorry but are you kidding?” Nayeon asks her girlfriend in disbelief. “We had the highest ratings for a TV show this year, almost the entire _ decade _ . Why on Earth wouldn’t you want to make a second season?”

“I think their story is done,” Jihyo says, and the conversation Tzuyu and Jeongyeon had at the beginning of the night rings inside her ears.  _ Don’t you think Jooyoung and Jinsol’s story is over? _ “Plus, doing another season gives those asshole executive producers a chance to kill off any characters, including Jooyoung or Jinsol. We only had creative freedom because they thought it would flop. I don’t want my show butchered.”

“That makes sense...” Tzuyu says, and when Nayeon eyes land on her, she adds, “We could make a spin off about Sihyeon...”

Jihyo chuckles and grabs her glass again. “Heh. Maybe.”

“Tzuyu,” Nayeon calls her name, and then points at Jihyo. “Can you tell her she’s being crazy? People need this show.”

“That’s why I made it, Nay,” Jihyo says, voice edging on exasperation. “I don’t want to ruin it with a second season.”

“I want the show to go on too, Nayeon, but it’s Jihyo’s story to tell in the end,” Tzuyu says, although her heart still feels like it’s breaking. She thinks back on the note Jeongyeon left her on her Christmas present,  _ Merry Christmas, my Kwon Jinsol _ . 

It feels like a part of herself is being erased — the feeling is similar to when she first came back from spending her first holidays in Taiwan and then had to return to South Korea. She should do it quickly, like ripping off a bandaid, but this stubborn part of herself wants to linger longer, this part of herself that wants to be hopeful.

The truth is that she holds on to the show so much because without it, there’s no excuse for Jeongyeon to stay in Korea, there’s no excuse for TWICE not to go on a World Tour for months, no excuse to see Nayeon or Momo or Jeongyeon everyday. Maybe she fears that without the show, Jeongyeon won’t really find a reason to be around her anymore.

And it’s bullshit because Jeongyeon would never do that to her and it’s all on Tzuyu’s head and she knows that — but still; the insecure part of herself, the part that’s been told to always expect the worst, who’s been conditioned to think she’s not enough, is enough to leave her paralyzed and afraid.

“I wish the show could go on forever,” Nayeon admits, a sad expression on her face. “I really loved doing it. And I’ll miss all those letters from kids saying we helped them.”

“I cried reading some of them,” Tzuyu confesses, suddenly wanting to hug herself. “We did good, didn’t we...?”

Jihyo nods. “We did. I love this show. And I love you guys.”

“You love me more though,” Nayeon adds, giggling slightly when Jihyo rolls her eyes at her, all fondness.

Tzuyu thinks back on a particular day of set, before her and Jeongyeon had become friends and Tzuyu still thought she hated her — she had brought cookies to have something to eat while they did her hair and make-up, and Tzuyu knew Jeongyeon hated messes. Still does.

She had stuffed her face full when she heard her open the dressing room door, almost frozen in fear because she used to walk on eggshells around Jeongyeon, but when Jeongyeon first saw her all she had done was stare at her for a few seconds and then turn around like she had just walked in on her changing.

“You look like a hamster,” she had told her. “... Cute.” 

Tzuyu hadn’t known how to react to it — which seems to be a pattern — she had just watched her walk away, dumbfounded. She had attributed it to Jeongyeon being sarcastic, but now that Tzuyu looks back on it knowing what she knows, she thinks that Jeongyeon was probably just nervous and felt embarrassed being so flustered around her favorite Idol.

It makes Tzuyu feel sadder, for some reason. She had thought nothing of that interaction at the time, but now it feels almost precious. 

“I don’t want it to end either,” Tzuyu says, turning to look at Nayeon. She feels her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach, a knot forming inside her throat. “I don’t want anything to end. I don’t want—”  _ I don’t want Jeongyeon to leave. _

Jihyo senses she’s upset, and she goes to grab her hand. “Oh, love...”

“I know you don’t,” Nayeon asks, uncharacteristically soft. “That show is important to you.”

With her heart beating inside her ears, she takes a deep breath and nods, mostly to calm herself down than anything. “I’m being childish.”

Jihyo’s grip on her arm tightens slightly, and she looks to her right to look at her. 

“No, you aren’t,” she tells her. “I know Jinsol is important to you; she’s a part of you. I knew I chose the perfect Jinsol the moment you walked into the room!”

“I’m gonna miss the show, but I...” she sighs, and Nayeon places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What if Jeongyeon leaves and doesn’t come back...?”

“Oh, Tzu...”

“I know, I’m being selfish and stupid,” she shakes her head. “She should take the role, I know she should, but I can’t help but...”

“Be sad about it?” Nayeon offers, and Tzuyu nods slightly in acknowledgement. “That’s completely normal, Tzuyu.”

“You really care about Jeongyeon, don’t you?” Jihyo asks, although she doesn’t expect an answer.  _ More than I can admit.  _ “She really cares about you too, you know.”

“Of course I do.”

“Why don’t you tell her?” Nayeon asks. “You know that if you asked her to stay she would. She’d give you the moon if you asked her to. Do you really think she wants to leave for a year? So far away?”

“But— she should take the role,” Tzuyu argues, looking at Nayeon.

Jihyo chuckles, not cruelly. “Tzuyu, I’m pretty sure the only thing Jeongyeon wants is for you to ask her to stay.”

“What…?”

“Tzuyu, before Cooking With the Enemy was even a thing,” Jihyo begins explaining, as Tzuyu’s heart starts beating faster again. “Jeongyeon used to talk about you like you were the most precious thing on Earth. She’d show us fancams — me and Nayeon were sick and tired, no offense.”

Nayeon nods. “I liked Cheer Up back in the day, but it was a bit too much.”

“The thing is,” Jihyo continues, “even after she started becoming famous, she didn’t have the balls to ever try and approach you. So while I was writing Cooking with the Enemy I realized I was writing Jinsol based on everything Jeongyeon said about you, and Jooyoung on things I knew about Jeongyeon. You both were literally meant to be.”

Tzuyu blinks. “I don’t...”

“She’s saying Jeongyeon has been head over heels with you since she knew you existed, Tzuyu,” Nayeon laughs slightly — partly frustrated, partly amused. “She was awkward and standoffish at first because she didn’t know how to act around you. She almost killed Jihyo when she found out she’d reached out to you for the role.”

Nayeon’s confession almost makes Tzuyu flinch. She’s hit with a strange mix of dread and hopefulness; both weighing down on her like rocks inside her pockets. 

She might be oblivious, but Tzuyu’s not  _ stupid _ . She’s always known that Jeongyeon doesn’t act the same way around her than she does with Jihyo or Momo, but she has chosen to ignore it. It’s better if they both do in the long run. Tzuyu isn’t allowed to dye her own hair the color she wants, let alone date anyone. If the company ever found out she was dating another girl, her life would be over, and her group member’s as well.

And not only she’d be affected, Jeongyeon would be as well — the world is not yet ready to accept and embrace them for who they are, not if a lot of the comments from ex-fans are anything to go by. Even if they got overwhelming support, they also got enormous amounts of hate, especially from people who claimed they used to love them.

She doesn’t know what to do with this information. One part of her wants to shake her head at it, to run from it until Jeongyeon’s long gone and in America filming her movie and being happy without her; but another part of her holds onto it for dear life, embraces it and wants to make it a part of her. She wants to store it inside her chest and lock it with a key, a confirmation:  _ Jeongyeon loves me. _

“I can’t ask her to stay,” she says. “I can’t make her do that.”

“Tzu,” Jihyo says, her grip tightening around her arm once again. “You shouldn’t keep everything so bottled up. If she leaves and you never got a chance to tell her how you truly feel, then you might never get a chance again.”

Tzuyu feels a sense of dread wash over her, picturing her life going on and keeping all of these unspoken truths inside of her. Picturing watching Jeongyeon across the room and not being brave enough to approach her. It’s so scary — why is everything so scary?

She remembers when the show had almost been cancelled, and how Jeongyeon tipped off the media so they could save it. Jeongyeon had been brave.  _ For you, _ she said.  _ I did it for you. _

Tzuyu’s throat goes dry.

“Do you know where she is?”

Jihyo smiles. Somehow that gives her the small bit of courage she needs.

“In the gardens,” Nayeon says. Duh, Tzuyu thinks. She always loved sneaking out. “I saw her going out after speaking to Sana for a bit. You should hurry though, it’s almost Midnight.”

Tzuyu nods, and in a second her legs are moving before she even thinks about it. She has absolutely no plan whatsoever, she just walks until the air turns colder and she’s under the moonlight, shivering from the cold. She should’ve brought a jacket, reports said it’d snow soon.

She finds Jeongyeon inside a greenhouse, a bit further away from the party. She finds her alone inside, surrounded by plants and flowers of different colors, protected from the cold since the weather is nicer here. Maybe a heater or something—

“Tzuyu?” Jeongyeon asks, looking up from the screen of her phone. “How did you know I was here?”

“I looked,” she responds. She’s pretty sure she must look like a deer caught in headlights, eyes open wide and frightened. 

“It’s almost midnight,” she says, lifting her phone. Fifteen minutes to the New Year. Hopefully she has five to at least get her shit together.

“I know,” she nods. “I just… wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine,” Jeongyeon says, immediately avoiding her gaze. Indicator that she’s probably not as fine as she claims to be.

“You left really quickly after we danced,” Tzuyu points out, not sure how to approach this. Jeongyeon doesn’t reply to that, instead giving her a small, awkward shrug. In a way she reminds her of the old Jeongyeon, the one she couldn’t stand, the one that feels so far away now. “I didn’t give you your gift yet,” Tzuyu says, causing Jeongyeon to look up at her.

“I told you you didn’t have to get me anything,” she reminds her, although she looks slightly interested. “I know I kept bothering you by text about it, but I was just teasing.”

“I know,” Tzuyu nods, pulling the box from inside her purse. “ _ I _ wanted to give you something, Unnie.” She holds out the box for her to take rather awkwardly. “Take it.”

Jeongyeon takes one look at her, one at the box, and then she takes it. She holds the box in her hand for a second and then she opens it.

“I admit I added the note after I got your present...” she says, nervous.

On the inside of the box it reads, _ Merry Christmas, my Ma Jooyoung.  _ Jeongyeon smiles at it, a mixture of curiosity and amusement as she holds up a gold heart-shaped necklace. 

“It’s a lock,” Tzuyu explains. “Open it.”

Jeongyeon does as she’s told, and when she opens it, she finds a picture of the two of them, the one that was taken after the food fight scene, where they are both smiling at each other. Jeongyeon stares at it for a few seconds, and Tzuyu feels her heart beat faster and faster with each passing second.

Just when she begins to worry if it’s way too cheesy, Jeongyeon finally looks up and smiles at her.

“Thank you, Tzu,” she says. “I’ll treasure it forever.”

“I made one for me too,” Tzuyu comments. “So even if we’re really far from each other we’ll still have this necklace.”

Jeongyeon clutches it, her fingers grazing over the golden details. Tzuyu’s breath hitches for a second. 

“I’ll keep it with me,” Jeongyeon nods, finally. “Thank you again.”

Tzuyu smiles. “It’s nothing. I’m happy you liked it.”

“I’m sorry I left so abruptly,” Jeongyeon says after a moment of silence. Her eyes look past Tzuyu’s, not really able to look at her in the eyes. “It’s a bit weird to hear you speaking about me leaving, I really haven’t decided yet.”

Tzuyu doesn’t want to talk about it. A lump forms inside her throat and she feels like she might cry any second now.

_ I don’t want you to leave. _ “Why not?”

“I guess I’m waiting for a reason to stay,” Jeongyeon says.

_ Stay. _

“Do you mean a second season?” She knows she doesn’t, but she can’t bring herself to say what she really wants to say.

Jeongyeon shakes her head, sighing. “No, I don’t.”

Tzuyu swallows. “Do you seriously think Jooyoung and Jinsol’s story is over? That there’s nothing else to tell?” It frightens her — maybe because she sees so much of Jeongyeon and Tzuyu in them, and the fact that their story comes to an end is a cosmic sign that theirs will, too.  _ Don’t leave. _

“I don’t think Jooyoung and Jinsol’s story is over, but… there’s such a thing as saying too much, you know,” Jeongyeon says, swallowing down a lump in her throat. “What if I say too much? What if I ruin this great thing I have and I don’t want to lose it?”

Tzuyu isn’t sure Jeongyeon is still talking about the show. A chill goes down her spine, her heart caught in her throat. She doesn’t know what to say, what to do. Jeongyeon’s just staring, waiting for her to do something. Start something. But Tzuyu is not that person, she’s not sure she can be the brave one here.

It’s selfish. She’s always asking for Jeongyeon to be the brave one, but she can never grow a spine and do something. Jeongyeon put her entire career at risk for Tzuyu, just because she cares for her. Tzuyu is way too scared of speaking out after a lifetime of being told that’s exactly what she shouldn’t do.

But this is different. This is Jeongyeon. If there’s one thing she’s learned from her, it’s to be brave. 

“There’s such a thing as not saying enough,” Somehow Tzuyu finds the words, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. “Things get ruined because of that too.”

“What are you saying, Tzu?”

“I’m asking you,” she says. “I’m asking you to stay. Don’t— don’t leave, Jeong.”

Jeongyeon looks stunned for a second, like she doesn’t know how to answer that. “You don’t want me to go?”

“I know I said you should, but I don’t want you to,” Tzuyu replies, hoping not to sound too stupid. She certainly feels like it, with silent tears streaming down her face. “At least not until you know.”

“Know what?” Jeongyeon asks, breathless.

“How much I care about you.” Tzuyu’s heart beats loudly inside her chest, but somehow she feels lighter. 

“Tzu...” she starts, but doesn’t say anything else.

“Remember that night at the Hotel, when we shared the bed and I told you I liked girls, that I might fall in love with one someday?” When Jeongyeon gives the faintests of nods, she continues. “I didn’t— I didn’t say it, but I meant to say that— that I knew there was a girl I loved.”

Jeongyeon’s breath hitches. “You don’t have to say—”

“I love you, Jeongyeon,” Tzuyu says, and it’s like the rock that she’s been carrying over her shoulders finally lifts and she can breathe again. “ _ Shit _ , I love you. Everything just…  _ frustratingly  _ always led me to you, everything that’s been good this past year is because of you, and— how couldn’t I fall in love with you?”

Jeongyeon’s near her in seconds, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide, but her touch is soft and caring, and she somehow finds the time to care for her even now.

“I must look pathetic...” Tzuyu whispers.

“I just wanted you to want me to stay,” Jeongyeon says, and when Tzuyu looks into her eyes she finds them filled with tears. “I wanted you to ask me to. I never wanted to leave, that’s why I didn’t tell you. I was upset because maybe I— maybe you didn’t want me to stay. Maybe you only saw me as a friend.”

Tzuyu shakes her head. “I still think you should go if you want to.”

Jeongyeon chuckles, a wet sound, as tears stream down her cheeks. “I don’t,” she says. “I promise.”

Tzuyu nods, more to herself than for Jeongyeon. “Okay.”

“Who’s crying now?” Jeongyeon jokes, and Tzuyu giggles slightly, her turn to run her hands to wipe the few tears away from Jeongyeon's face. “I didn’t think you...”

“Felt like that?” Tzuyu chuckles, slightly nervous. “Me neither. Not until after the presscon. But I’ve felt this way for longer than that.”

“I hoped, but...” Jeongyeon shakes her head. “Tzuyu, I  _ adore _ you.”

Tzuyu’s heart soars; suddenly her cheeks tinge pink and she’s already reaching for Jeongyeon’s hand, a nervous giggle on the tip of her tongue, breathless. 

Jeongyeon continues after taking her hand, “Everything I did in that show was for you; for love. I know it’s cheesy, but— fuck, I couldn’t even hide how much I loved you sometimes, I swear Nayeon and Jihyo teased me about it for weeks.” A laugh escapes from Tzuyu’s lips and Jeongyeon joins in too. “I’m serious! When she casted you for Jinsol I was so nervous. Sometimes I think she just made the show to set us up.”

“It’s gonna be hard,” Tzuyu’s fingers tighten around Jeongyeon’s. “We’ll have to hide.”

“I would’ve had to anyway,” she says. “I don’t mind, not for you. Because you’re Tzuyu.” Jeongyeon looks like she’s about to melt. At risk of the conversation turning too emotional, she adds, “You said shit. You love me so much I made you curse.”

Tzuyu rolls her eyes, although it’s terribly fond.

“Don’t let it get to your head, Yoo Jeongyeon.”

_ Ten! _

“Oh shit,” Jeongyeon whispers, “They're already doing the countdown. We’ll miss the toast.”

_ Nine, eight. _

“I’m happy spending the New Year here,” Tzuyu smiles, pulling Jeongyeon close again. Jeongyeon blushes, but regains her composure to raise a teasing eyebrow at her.

_ Seven, six, five. _

“What do you hope for this New Year, Miss Chou?”

To be happy, here with you, she thinks. She says, “To eat lots of kimbap.”

“Amazing plan,” Jeongyeon nods.

_ Four, three, two. _

“What about you?” Tzuyu asks.

“For things to stay exactly as they are. For the record,” Jeongyeon says, smiling, eyes still shining, “I love you too.”

_ One. _

Tzuyu smiles, her lips ghosting over Jeongyeon’s. “I know.”

_ Happy New Year! _

Tzuyu closes the distance between them as fireworks go off in the distance, as she hears the clinks of champagne glasses and the sound of bottles uncorking. Jeongyeon’s eyes never leave her lips until they finally connect; until their noses are touching.

Jeongyeon’s hand rests on the back of her neck, the other one on her waist — they’ve done this before, but they did it as Jooyoung and Jinsol, and these are Jeongyeon and Tzuyu, and it takes a second for them to finally find their spark. Jeongyeon wraps both her hands around Tzuyu’s neck and deepens the kiss, bringing Tzuyu to gasp for a second before she’s wrapping her arms around Jeongyeon’s waist and bringing her closer.

They are in a public garden, anyone could walk in any second now and find them like this, kissing behind roses and magnolias, but Tzuyu finds that for the first time, she doesn’t care about what others might think. She can’t bring herself to care about anything else but Jeongyeon’s lips on hers, the curve of her back on the palm of her hand.

Tzuyu moves her hands from Jeongyeon’s waist and places them on her face, holding onto it and deepening the kiss even more. Jeongyeon takes the opportunity to wrap her arms around Tzuyu’s waist and hold her, in a way that makes her feel like she’s somewhere else, far away, just the two of them and the moonlight. Jeongyeon’s cheeks are strangely warm given the weather; her lips soft and not chapped, and when Tzuyu pulls away gasping for air, Jeongyeon starts laughing.

“What?” 

She points at the corner of her lips with a snort.

“You got a bit of lipstick… everywhere, really.”

Tzuyu chuckles. “You too.”

“Clean up your mess, then,” Jeongyeon says, raising her eyebrows at her. Tzuyu bites her lip.

“You’re so cheesy,” she says, and then joins their lips together again.

_ From: Queen Im Nayeon  _

_ Congrats, Chou _

_ You did well _

_ :) _

_ From: Boss Baby Jihyo _

_ Welcome to the club [gay flag emoji] queen _

_ From: Chaeyoung Minaj _

_!!! TZUYU GOT THE GIRLLL _

_ BAD BITCH _

_ From: Momoring  _

_ Finally ;) _

_ From: Mitang <3 _

_ I knew you could do it!!!! _

_ From: Dubu :D _

_ Wait  _

_ What did i miss _

_ From: Satangggg e.e _

_ I CANT BELIEVE I WASNT THERE TO WITNESS IT T.T _

_ Why didn’t u guys wait for me …  _ _ ㅋㅋ _

  
  


Balancing a box and a pot on both her hands, Tzuyu can barely see what’s in front of her. She’s not usually clumsy, but she feels like the box might slip from her hands any second now; she’s not sure what’s inside, but she’s pretty sure whatever it is will be scattered all over the lobby in a few seconds. Tzuyu catches a glimpse of the elevator doors opening and starts running before it closes on her.

“Hey! Please stop the elevator!” she exclaims. She sees the person’s hand sticking out to stop it from closing, and Tzuyu sighs in relief. “Thank you so mu — Oh, it’s you.”

“It’s you? That’s your reaction to seeing your girlfriend?” Jeongyeon whines, taking the pot away from Tzuyu so she can see properly. Jeongyeon’s newly dyed blonde hair sticks to her forehead with sweat despite it being winter. The snow has started to melt anyway; by the time they're done with moving, the sidewalk will be covered in water.

“Well, I saw you two minutes ago,” Tzuyu says, smiling slightly. When Jeongyeon’s frown doesn’t fade, she plants a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you.”

The door closes in front of them, and the elevator begins its journey up.

Even now, Jeongyeon still blushes at the tiniest bit of display of physical affection. It’s a funny contrast to the cool girl image she has, and Tzuyu finds it endearing every single time.

“We need to be more careful in public, Tzu—”

“We’re alone inside an elevator,” Tzuyu interrupts. “I want to kiss you.”

“Your wish is my command,” Jeongyeon says and Tzuyu laughs, but her embarrassment fades into the background as Jeongyeon reaches for the back of her head and plants a sweet, caring kiss to Tzuyu’s lips. She draws circles where her hands rest, making Tzuyu relax— although the box and the pot between them make the whole thing slightly uncomfortable, so they step away sooner than either of them wants, groaning.

Still, Tzuyu’s excited for more of those.  _ Loads _ more of those.

“I hate moving,” Jeongyeon groans. “Even though I’m happy I’m finally gone from Jihyo and Nayeon’s apartment. Thanks for helping me. Those two left at around ten because Jihyo said she wanted to have an early brunch —”

“Which is just breakfast,” Tzuyu points out, knowing where this rant is going.

“ _ Thank you _ , that’s literally what I said,” Jeongyeon adds, then continues. “Anyway, she said she had to start working on that script for that Sihyeon spin off, so they took off super early. And Momo and Sana broke a lamp and then left, the vandals.”

“I know, I was there. Looks like I’m your only hope,” Tzuyu raises an eyebrow at her, nudging at her with her shoulder. “Hey, at least you’re not living at Nayeon’s and Jihyo’s anymore, and we’re closer to your sister’s shelters so it’s easier to go there everyday. I know I can’t fully move in with you because of my comeback schedule and the rumors but...” she trails off.

“No, it’s fine — it’s more than fine,” Jeongyeon shakes her head. “You’ll still be here most days. I don’t mind.”

Tzuyu sighs, content, and rests her head on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, even if she has to slightly lean down to reach. “I’m really happy, Jeong. I don’t remember ever being this happy.”

Jeongyeon’s smile is warm. “I hate this plant and that box right now. I want to kiss you so bad.”

“Later,” she giggles, pushing her away slightly, although she’s not strong enough and she ends up bouncing instead. “We have a lot of time now… I think this is the last box.”

“You should’ve said so earlier,” Jeongyeon says, placing the plant on the floor, taking the box from Tzuyu’s hand and doing the same. 

She takes Tzuyu’s waist and hugs her from behind (something Tzuyu quickly learns Jeongyeon loves doing), and rests her head on her shoulders, planting kisses to her neck. Tzuyu hums, content. 

“What did you say about someone seeing us?”

“Let them,” she replies, somehow growing bolder. Tzuyu feels butterflies in her stomach — she’d thought they’d be gone by now after months of dating, but she still feels her heart flutter with every kiss.

She finally turns around and captures Jeongyeon’s lips in hers, slowly. Tzuyu found that kissing Jeongyeon made everything feel like a warm cup of tea, like the sun is shining through the window, like maybe she doesn’t have to worry about everything now. Not now, with Jeongyeon’s arms wrapped around her and her soft and slightly chipped lips meeting her own.

When Tzuyu kisses Jeongyeon, she feels like someone finally knows her heart. When Tzuyu kisses Jeongyeon, she remembers how amazing the previous year of her life has been, how everything good seemed to always go back to her and Jeongyeon. How did she go from hating this woman to being so in love with her?

Tzuyu steps away, giggling, and Jeongyeon smiles, although probably confused.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head. The elevator beeps, signaling that they are finally at their floor. She bends down to pick up the box, as does Jeongyeon with the pot. “Just thinking about how glad I am you didn’t hold the door for me when I first met you.”

“At least I held it open this time,” Jeongyeon says, smirking as the doors open.

In the end, that might be all that matters.

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're done!  
> thank u so much for reading and joining me with this fic, i've adored writing this so so much and it's literally the first fic i've ever completed! this fic truly made me grow so much as a writer, especially thanks to my beta. you guys kept me going with your comments and kudos<3 this fic means a lot to me and it's pretty much turned jeongtzu into my ult ship. im so emotional finishing lmfao, im gonna miss the at face value world so much... sequel anyone? *wink wink* lol  
> thank u so much again for reading dear jeongtzu nation!!!! its been a pleasure writing for all thriteen of us!!!

**Author's Note:**

> follow me @/seratoninz on tw!


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